A/N: Ummm, well....

I GIVE YOU CHAPTER 6! (Finally complete. You will all be...pleased...to hear that I had it pretty much done for ever now but I couldn't seem make a good break off point. But i think I got it there.)

I hope that now I've got myself back that I can keep this story coming like I used to. That said I would like to thank two very special readers for being there for me. You two really have be come good friends to me to some extent. And I hope you two know who you are. *hint hint* Chinchila. *nudge nudge* GFS. Thanks you two. I also want to say thank you to those who have continued to follow this story even though my updates dropped off there for a while. Ahem, anyway. Sentiments aside...

As always I do not own Finaly Fantasy. And now, please enjoy.

Ch 6: Trials and Truths

"Strife", Tory's hollow even pitched voice drifted from the door way, as the roommate glided into the room towards his bed which was to the left of Cloud's.

Cloud lazily sat up on his elbows, eyes locked on to the jade eyed man as he glided through the room with a grace that never failed to send shivers of discomfort up the blonde's spine. The grace and silence in which Tory moved was paranormal. There should have been no way for him to move the way he did and yet he was. It was unnerving since the beginning but it hadn't been until recently that Cloud had truly taken a notice to it, and it was bothering him with each and every second the jade eyed man was around him.

Tory leaned and opened the trunk at the foot of his bead as he passed it, rounded the corner of the bead, and sat gracefully on the edge of his bed, back to Cloud. The blond frowned at this and fell back down onto his bed. If the source of a large portion of his anxiety was going to bother speaking to him, the man might as well have something to actually say as opposed to just addressing him and then ignoring him.

Irritated, Cloud eyed the object of his discomfort wondering if by chance the man would actually continue, but by the looks of it the man had decided there was nothing to be said after all. Jade eyes locked with the blonde's pale blue, startling Cloud out of his irritated thoughts. Tory smirked at the expression Cloud hadn't realized he had gained.

The expression lasted mere seconds before the blond frowned once more. He turned to gaze back up the ceiling. "Did you think you heard me speak and have now decided that I didn't, or are you just ignoring me? If it's the later of the two, I'll stop bothering you if you will be so kind as to make it clear you are disregarding me", the roommate shot off coldly in his hollow voice.

Irritation renewed, Cloud sat back up on his elbows and forced him self to make eye contact with Tory, tying his best to make it as intense as he could. He wanted to make it clear that he too didn't want to be wasting his time. If the man had something to say to him, he needed to say it, and if his actions right now weren't enough to say "you have my attention", Cloud wasn't sure what else would.

Of course the second the smaller candidate made the intense eye contact, the older man turned his head almost arrogantly away. Cloud was starting to get pissed. Was Tory just going to keep addressing him without saying anything of importance, or was he going to spit out sometime in the near future?

"Such hostility you have towards me Strife. I really wish you would let go of the past", Tory sighed, his airy tone making it difficult for Cloud to determine if the statement had been sarcasm or not. Tory looked back over his shoulder reinstating eye contact before continuing on, completely changing subject, "Check the board at the end of the hall."

Cloud sighed in utter irritation. Of course Tory couldn't just tell the small candidate what was on the board that was so important. The blond tilted his head to the side, pretending he was waiting for the other man to continue. To his surprise, Tory smirked and added, "I didn't memorize the details specific to you, only the ones for me. So whether I tell you more now or not, you still have to go check the board for yourself."

Relaxing, the blond pushed him self the rest of the way up into a sitting position. Tory was difficult to read. For all Cloud knew, the man found amusement in occasionally sending people out of their way and taking up their time. Unfortunately, trying to push this candidate for details in attempt to authenticate the claim would prove futile. If this guy didn't want to speak, he wouldn't speak.

As sarcastic and deceitful as Tory's airy voice always sounded, Cloud couldn't help but feel that the man never really lied, but at the same time he had the feeling the man had no problems telling little fibs if they were to get under someone's skin…or if they were highly beneficial. Partly because he didn't want to take a chance there really was something on the board and it was important and partly because he believed the cold eyed older youth, the blond swung his legs over the side of his bed and got up to go check out the board for the alleged information that had been posted.

As life would have it, Tory hadn't been lying. Cloud was convinced of this as he walked up to the large rectangular cork board that was at the three way intersection marking the "end" of the hall he was staying on. The first thing that caught his eye were three papers pinned up side by side off to the right side of the board that all appeared to be some sort of lists.

The next thing the blond noticed was another paper centered above the three lists. In bold lettering the page read "Candidates scheduled for Mako testing and acclimation (listed by date and then by time of appointment)".

"I'm guessing this is what Tory wanted me to see, and based on what he was saying; my name is on here somewhere", Cloud muttered to him self moving his eyes from the bold print to the first page of "appointments". He placed his right index finger on the first row and skimmed it over the page to the third column header that read "candidate name". Slowly he traced his finger down the length of the first page in search of his name.

Not finding his name on the first page he moved on to the second, once again tracing his finger down the length of the name column, but once again he didn't find his name amongst the listed ones. He side stepped over to the third page and he began tracing his finger down the length of the page once more.

Only a few rows down, Cloud stopped his finger alongside his name. "Looks like I am here after all", Cloud thought out loud, "But why did Tory know I was on here? Did he look for my name intentionally?"

The blond almost instantly found that other youth had most likely not been looking for his name, because one name below his was Himora, Tory. So it turned out the only reason why his roommate knew his name was on here was because their names had ended up one right after the other, which was comforting in its own right. Cloud wasn't so sure he liked the idea of his least trusted roommate looking for any information pertaining to him, but knowing by coincidence wasn't so bad.

Now calmer for the discovery, the blond traced his finger over the row to the left to check the date and time of his set appointment. His shoulders sagged and his lips drooped into a slight frown. He had been scheduled for Saturday.

Cloud shook his head. What was he getting so depressed about? It wasn't like this appointment could possibly take all day.

He sighed and moved one column back over to the right to check the time he was scheduled for. According to the posted information he was scheduled for ten in the morning. The blond smirked, scolding him self mentally for getting so depressed for nothing. He and Zack weren't planning to go any where until around seven in the evening, and a nine hour gap was more than enough to ensure he would still be able to make it.

…………..

Dinner time eventually came, and Cloud, without a second thought, retrieved his meal and retreated back into the far corner of the mess hall. Just as the blond was settling in, the long bench jerked slightly, almost causing the blond youth to knock over his full glass of red juice. He sighed in relief after quickly stabilizing the glass preventing all but a few drops of the remarkably satisfying and sweet drink.

A hand reached over and roughly ruffled his spiky hair playfully, jerking the blonde's body once more, his blue eyes drooping in exasperation as the glass he had just saved shook in his hand and small waves of his drink sloshed over the sides of the glass and down onto his tray.

"You know I'd like it if I could drink this, not clean the table with it or wear it", Cloud sighed already knowing exactly who was ruffling his hair.

"Sorry didn't mean to make you spill your drink blonde, but I can't help myself. I just love messing with your hair. It's softer than mine", Zack laughed while more delicately running his hand through Cloud's hair before folding his arms and leaning onto the table.

Cloud gave the older youth a quick smile and released his drinking glass so he could pick up his fork. After taking a bite of what appeared to be the main entre on his plate, which he still hadn't bothered to identify, Cloud muttered, "They've scheduled me for Mako testing on Saturday but it's in the morning, so I'll still be able to go out in the evening."

Zack's smile faded faster then Cloud had ever seen anything disappear. The blond put his fork down to better study the new expression that took the place of Zack's usually carefree one. Was Mako testing really bad news at this point?

The dark haired operative shook his head slowly, "Cloud you may be unable to do anything on Saturday, or Sunday for that matter, after the Mako injection. Do you remember some of the side effects I told you about?"

It was now Cloud's turn to change his expression and a soft un-intentional pout formed over his delicate lips. "So those side effects stay around for twenty-four to forty-eight hours?", the small blond asked dropping his gaze to the table.

Zack nodded and released a depressed sigh but quickly put on a comforting smile as soon as he took in the small blondes almost heart broken expression. "Hey cheer up a little", Zack half whispered in a gentle and calm voice, "We can still spend time together, it just might not be the best day for us to go out into town or anything. Plus, the Mako testing is a good sign. Putting you through testing earlier on means you have been noted as one of the ones they have more confidence in."

The older operative's gentle smile and voice was enough to coax a feeble smile out of Cloud. Although the blond felt comforted by the words, he still couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He had really been looking forward to celebrating his birthday and it was looking like the little celebration was quickly going down the drain. After all, it wasn't like they could go any sooner than Saturday. Training restricted him to the base until Friday night, and the only reason he wasn't keen on going out Friday night was because of how his training left him feeling afterwards. There was no way he would have the energy to go out after training on Friday.

A strong arm reached around Cloud and a firm hand closed on his shoulder, pulling the blond closer to the well toned body of the operative sitting next to him. "Don't worry; I'm not just gunna give up on you just because we have to reschedule our date", Zack started with a grin, giving Cloud's delicate shoulders a firm squeeze, "I promise I'll happily wait until your next available day, and then we'll go out, just the two of us, and celebrate your birthday. I know it'll be a little late then, but better late then never, right?"

Cloud could only give the operative another weak smile and a feeble nod. Zack gave him another squeeze and the blond was able to give him a more genuine smile. Zack was right. They may not be able to go out but they could still spend time together, and it wasn't like Saturday night was the only chance the two of them could go out into town.

…………..

Obnoxious beeping broke into Cloud's peaceful sleep causing the candidate to wearily open his blue eyes to stare at the bland ceiling of his room. It was Saturday wasn't it? Then why in the world was he waking up to his alarm?

He blinked slowly and continued to gaze at the ceiling. 'Oh yea, that's right', the blond thought to himself slowly, 'I have that Mako testing thing this morning. But…that's not till ten. Why did I set my alarm for such an early time? I could have slept longer…'

Still groggy and puzzling through the decision, Cloud rolled onto his side to slap a hand down on to his still beeping alarm. His hand lingered over the device for a few moments while he debated between just simply rolling over and going back to sleep, though he probably wouldn't be able to get him self to sleep in past another hour or two from now, and simply getting up.

With a sigh, Cloud decided to be on the side of caution and get up in case there was something he needed to get done before his appointment that he just wasn't remembering at this time. If it turned out he had set the alarm without thinking last night and there was nothing he was forgetting about, than at the very least he would be able to enjoy a quiet peaceful breakfast in the cafeteria.

Not without difficulty, the blond candidate forced himself to go about his morning routine and to dress himself in a set of his own clothes instead of one of the uniforms provided by SOLDIER. Dressed in a pair of overly baggy black pants that held lightly to his delicate hips, a casual baggy gray t-shirt that was beginning to fray at the bottom, and worn dark leather boots, Cloud left his room and began the trek down to the cafeteria.

Just as the young blond made it through the sliding doors into the mess hall he remembered why he had gotten up at seven instead of sleeping till nine. He was meeting Zack and Reno for breakfast. Reno had wanted to wish the blond happy birthday on his birthday but the only chance he would have to do that was in the early morning because the red head was getting sent out on assignment for the day. So in a way this was like a birthday breakfast of sorts, though it probably would have been more complete, Cloud realized, if Kitami and Shin had been there as well.

Getting through the food line with more speed than was normally possible, Cloud scanned the nearly empty mess hall for Zack and Reno. It was proving far more difficult than it should have been considering Zack could hardly ever hold still, even while eating, and Reno had bright fiery red hair, both traits being ones that should have demanded the eyes attention.

Finally Cloud spotted the black haired operative sitting at one of the tables on the far side of the mess from the food line waving a hand dramatically in the air to get his attention. The blond nodded and made his way toward the older man but was thoroughly confused as to why he wasn't seeing Reno. Once closer, however, Reno became visible. The Turk had his head down on the table next to his tray and a few of the people actually in the mess hall had been sitting in the right places to block the man from view.

Upon closer inspection the red haired Turk appeared to be dead, though Cloud doubted the man actually was. "Guess its safe to say Reno isn't a morning person", the blond muttered to himself as he approached the table.

"Hey, happy birthday", Zack half sung with a smile stepping around the table to put an arm around the young blond, "So hows it feel to be eighteen? Feel good?"

Cloud shrugged and allowed the dark haired operative to usher him around the table and onto the bench. The second the blonde's tray was out of his grasp, the older male gave him a strong one armed hug with the arm still around his shoulders. The blond went limp with the motion and allowed his head to rest on the older male's shoulder.

"Woe. Hey, are you ok? You seem a little…", Zack asked, concern tracing his delicately tanned features.

The blond muttered something into his boyfriend's shoulder and then let his head and neck go limp like the rest of his body. Startled by the response Zack gave the small blond a gentle shake. "Hey! Seriously, are you Ok?", Zack asked again starting to sound more than a little alarmed.

With a sigh, Cloud mustered up the strength to lift his head from Zack's shoulder, pulling his mouth clear of the other body. "I want more sleep. It feels too early", the blond muttered wearily before dropping his head back down to where it was before.

Relief spread over Zack's face within seconds and a gentle smile replaced the concerned frown upon his thin lips. Zack rubbed Cloud's shoulder and planted a soft kiss on top of the blonde's head before turning his head to look at Reno. "You hear that Reno? You're the reason Cloud's like this. He's tiered and it's your fault we had to do this birthday breakfast so early", the dark haired operative teased.

"Shove it Fair", came the muffled response of Reno who had opted to leave his head down on the table.

Eyes drooped in mock annoyance Zack responded, "How rude. You're the one who wanted to be able to wish Cloud a happy birthday before you left and you won't even pick your head up off the table to say anything."

With a groan, which sounded as if the Turk had tried to keep from releasing it, Reno picked his head up off the table and rubbed a hand over his face. "Ok. First I would like to say this situation is not my fault. I wanted to say happy birthday on his birthday. That's called being a good friend and last time I checked it's not a crime", Reno began to explain with a weary sigh and continued after putting up a finger to halt Zack before he started a counter, "How is it not my fault? Because I'm not the one that decided to send me out so god damn early. Believe me, if I had a say in the matter I wouldn't be leaving until closer to noon, but as things stand, I have no say."

Zack only gave an amused smirk as he propped his head up with his hand, careful to support the now half sleeping blond that was still leaning limply on him. Reno began to lower his head down onto the table once more but paused as an after thought. Head still up; the red haired man turned his face to look at Cloud. "Happy eighteenth Cloud", the young man wished with a smile.

Once more, Cloud collected the energy to move. The blond unburied his face from the operatives shoulder to give the Turk a soft smile of gratitude. "Thanks Reno and if it means anything to you, I'm not blaming anything on you", the youngest member of the group responded.

Reno smiled more broadly with Cloud's opinion of things telling Cloud that his opinion did mean something to the Turk. "Aww, come on guys. You two are starting to make me out as the bad guy", the dark haired man half protested against the silent accusations.

With an amused smirk, the Turk sat upright in his seat and started sorting through the eggs on his plate. Zack looked to his left when he felt the weight on his shoulder lift and discovered Cloud giving him one of his gentle, and somehow teasing, smiles. The blond shifted carefully in his seat to sit more comfortably on his own and began to enjoy his breakfast.

"No way! Are you two really giving me the silent treatment?! Oh come on", Zack exclaimed maybe a little too loudly for the time of morning it was, but no one really seemed to be paying him much attention…including Reno and Cloud.

…………..

The morning passed by quickly and ten o'clock came up faster on Cloud than he felt comfortable with. Stomach turning, and his throat dry, Cloud made his way to the medical ward, not really knowing what to expect. True Zack had told him what things might be like for him after the Mako testing, but he didn't know what the Mako testing and injection would be like.

When Cloud had asked Zack after breakfast, the operative had seemed reluctant to say much. In fact, the older youth had rather successfully avoided saying anything about the matter besides "You'll be fine."

Thinking about the answer dodging wasn't helping the blond any and it only made his stomach turn all the more. He could feel his palms beginning to coat in a cold sweat, and he could feel his body begin to shake. His arms and legs were growing heavy, and each step he took up the empty stairwell became more and more draining.

The dam in his mind broke wide open and all the questions he had been holding at bay surged forward. What if the testing showed him as incompatible? What if he freaked out before they even did the testing? Would they kick him out? Did he come all this way only to fail now? Had he stayed strong through all the abusive words and survived being beaten for nothing? Was everything he had been through for nothing?

Cloud swallowed hard as he tried to calm himself down. He was now standing just outside the medical ward's sliding door. If he was going to regain his composure it was now or never. Once he stepped through that the door there was no stopping the events that would follow. He had to have control starting now.

Confident that he had managed to mask his fears and uncertainties, Cloud stepped forward and the door slid open upon sensing him. Still nauseous, the blond youth entered the long, rectangular, dull room and approached the nurse sitting behind the tall desk.

"Umm, I'm here for", the blond started in more of a whisper than he had meant to but he was cut off by a quick gesture of the nurse signaling him to hold on for a second.

The nurse continued to click away on her keyboard for a few moments before she finally looked up at the delicate blond standing on the other side of the desk biting his lip. She brushed a section of her dark hair that had fallen out of the bun she wore back behind her ear and stared intently at Cloud as if analyzing him, her soft green eyes cool and piercing.

She sighed after a few seconds and looked back down at her computer screen, asking calmly and coolly, "You are a SOLDIER candidate, are you not?"

"Uh, yes I am. I'm here for…", Cloud began to explain but was quickly cut off once more, this time by the nurses cool voice.

"Name", she more stated than asked.

" Strife, Cloud", the blond whispered briefly in response.

The almost mechanical nurse began to type away on her keyboard once more. A few short seconds of clacking keys and several mouse clicks later her green eyes glanced back up to study Cloud's face carefully. While she was working ever so diligently, Cloud stood shifting nervously in place, rolling the fraying hem of his ratty gray shirt between his index finger and thumb.

"Alright mister Strife, I have you on file. You are noted here as being scheduled for mako testing today at ten am. My clock shows the time as nine fifty am and I have not received word that they are ready for the next candidate at this time. Your instructions are to please have a seat in one of the open chairs here in the waiting room until you are called back for your testing", the nurse shot off smoothly, her voice reminding Cloud of a very crisp, soft, female AI voice.

Cloud glanced over his shoulder to find an open seat but remembered the room had been empty when he walked in only minutes ago. He flushed gently out of embarrassment, though there was no way anyone else knew he had just had such a bad memory laps, and backed away from the nurse's desk, muttering a quick thanks even though he knew the nurse was probably ignoring him now.

The nervous youth took a seat in one of the cold metal chairs directly across from the nurse's desk. He fidgeted for a few seconds before finally settling into a position where his elbows rested on his thighs just above his knees, his hands were pressed together, his fingers interlocked, and his head was down so he could stair directly at the ground between his feet.

Time ticked by, but the blond had no idea how long had really passed. The gentle humming of the lights, and probably the climate control unit as well, grew louder and louder in his ears. His breathing was slow and even but each breath felt heavy.

The sliding and click of the metal door directly across the room and to the left of the nurse's desk startled Cloud, causing him to jump in his seat and snap out of the self created vortex of worry and confusion in his head.

Cloud's body tensed as he snapped his head upright to see who had caused the door to open. Surprise took over the blonde's state of mind providing a temporary escape from his current set of feelings.

The who that Cloud's unnaturally blue eyes settled on was none other than candidate Himora which made absolutely no sense to the blond. If he was recalling correctly, which he was certain he was, Himora was scheduled for a time after him. So why was he coming out of the medical ward before him?

Confused, Cloud opened his mouth to call out to Himora but stopped himself short of actually forming any words in his mouth. Something wasn't right with his roommate. Himora's eyes lacked their usual cold flame and were instead distant and glassy in appearance. He looked pale and worn out, and his movements were labored and slow. The young man was a shadow of his real self and everything about him was opposite of what it should be.

Dazed and exhausted, with slow ungraceful steps, Himora wearily trudged through the door way and into the waiting room. Cloud could hear his roommate's heavy breathing and the more steps the other candidate took into the room, the more the blond saw him shaking. But what startled the blond more than his roommate's diminished state was how the nurse behind the desk spared no more than a passing glance for his roommate.

One uneasy step after another, Himora continued his trek deeper into the waiting room and towards the door. Just as the silver haired youth was passing in front of Cloud, he took one truly bad step and stumbled to a knee with an airy whisper of a cry.

Cloud near about jumped from his seat towards Himora but stopped dead in his tracks when Himora glared at him from the corner of his eye. The single look was enough to tell the blond that the other youth didn't want his help and that he would probably retaliate if the blond even tried to help him, which would only make things worse.

Grimacing and teeth clenched, Himora slowly struggled to get back onto his feet, his legs wobbling in protest of his efforts. Breathing even harder, the youth stood in a wide uneven stance, his back slightly arched forward, and his right hand clutching his left arm. He stood shaking for a few moments before pushing himself to straighten up his posture and narrow his stance.

Ready to rush to the other candidate if he fell, Cloud watched, feet still positioned how they were when he had slid to a stop. His blue eyes widened as Himora's already vibrant green eyes appeared to start glowing lightly. True his roommate's eyes had appeared to have a bit of a glow to them before but the way they appeared now was nothing like that. It wasn't the light playing of the crystalline nature of the irises. It was an actual glow that was originating somewhere behind the eye.

All Cloud could do after seeing Himora's eyes change like that was watch his roommate make his way to the medical ward's front door. Just as the silver haired youth reached the door, however, the blond found it in him to speak and took a step after him.

"Himora", Cloud started, lifting a hand as if to reach for the other youth.

The usually cocky youth turned to look over his sagging shoulder at the blond, but the blond youth was unable to continue with what he was going to say. Just as he had opened his mouth to speak again another voice, originating from the door next to the nurse's desk, drifted in over his, methodically stating, "Candidate Strife, we are now ready for you."

The blond glanced over at the young man who was the owner of the voice that had just called him and then glanced back at his roommate who was still standing in the door to the hallway and staring tiredly back at him. The young candidate wanted to continue with what he was going to say but sighed in submission when the sound of the man in the other door way clearing his throat sounded impatiently through the silence. Being cut off seemed to be the growing theme of the day and at this point he could do nothing about it.

Reluctantly, Cloud tore his eyes from his roommate and headed towards the man who had summoned him away. Once again scrutinizing eyes looked him up and down, and like before, he couldn't help but feel put off by the surveying. The man nodded in satisfaction and waved for Cloud to follow without saying another word.

Down the long white metallic hallway the man lead the uneasy youth. At first the hallway didn't seem like it could have been all that long but Cloud quickly decided it was deceptive in its true length. He smiled inwardly as the words "down the rabbit hole" played them selves through his mind. Then he almost laughed audibly when his imagination provided the image of Zack walking down the hallway backwards in front of him chanting in a steady rhythm, "Down the rabbit hole we trek. But how far down does it stretch? It doesn't look as if it bends. Do we really know if it ends? We will have to wait and see, but there's no knowing where we'll be."

The image provided some comfort for the blond as he continued to follow the young man wearing a lab coat, and for at least a few seconds Cloud was able to forget about everything that was scaring him at the time.

Unfortunately, the mental retreat was only strong enough to last Cloud to the end of the hall and through a second sliding door. As soon as the blond youth cleared the door way he began to pull out of his comforting, and amusing, day dream.

The hallway walls were no longer white in color and the floor was no longer comprised of light gray tiles. Instead, the walls were now a dark steely gray and the floor was a dark, almost black, cement surface. These sudden changes lead Cloud to believe that he was no longer in the medical ward or that, in the very least, he was in a very special part of the ward.

It had been hard enough to be at ease in the more gentle and subtle environment he had been in before walking through the second doorway, and now that the his surroundings were so much darker and harsher, it was near impossible for the blond to feel even remotely at ease.

Another feeble smile spread across Cloud's lips as yet another stray thought came to mind. 'Zack', he thought to himself, 'I don't think I'm in Midgar any more.'

Once again the sorry excuse of a distraction fled from his mind as the lab coat man stopped in front of a room a short way down the new hallway to open a black sliding door with the words "Testing Room C-2 MW" written in broad white lettering across it.

The door glided open without making a sound and the man gestured for Cloud to enter the room. Cloud froze momentarily, unable to bring himself to walk by the man and enter the room.

His dream to become a member of SOLDIER and the thought of seeing Zack later was all that gave Cloud the courage he needed to resume functioning, and, though still petrified inside and shaking on the outside, he entered the room.

The room was long and rectangular in shape with a high ceiling, and the door was positioned only feet from the right wall creating a huge gap between it and the left wall. Metal rafters ran length wise across the ceiling and a single large square duct ran along the back wall, which had 2 metal gratings to allow the ventilation it provided. Surprisingly the walls within the room were lighter in color than the hallway, but they were still a deep gray.

The lighting was particularly odd within the room. Out in the hallway the lighting had been just plain dim, but in here it was more what Cloud wanted to call weird. The lights seemed to be adequately bright enough to light the room but the room was appearing dimmer than it should have been. It was as if the walls and everything else in the room were sucking up most of the light the overhead lights hanging from the rafters created.

There were a few machines with flashing lights and no lack of buttons and knobs of some kind arranged along the far wall with a single long counter, complete with dark cabinets both above and built in, stretched out in the center. Along the left wall was centered a single tank with a black base and cap filled with an odd green liquid that bubbled and swirled, a faint glow emanating from it.

Centered along the wall the door was in, and about five feet out from the wall, was a single metal chair that was fastened to the floor at his cylindrical base. The chairs arms were wide with a slight indentation running along the center. A leg rest of sorts slopped gently out from the front edge of the seat, hooking up at the end. On the right and left side of the less than comfortable looking foot rest, the rest extended further to better fit the full length of a foot. Although the chair was fairly bland in appearance, Cloud couldn't help but feel there was more to the chair, like there was something he was over looking.

Cloud's survey of the room was cut off when an old man with hunched shoulders and slick, long black hair tied in a low ponytail came striding out of the far corner where a sink the blond had over looked was situated, drying his hands with a white rag. The blond could only assume that the old man's angry and annoyed expression was rather permanently set onto his face, downward angled eyebrows and all.

"What? Are you waiting for an invitation or something? Take a seat all ready. I think it's rather obvious that is what you were meant to do but perhaps you are as dim witted as all the other imbeciles I am stuck testing", the old man barked in unnecessary irritation at Cloud before walking arrogantly over to a table on the far side of the chair welded to the floor.

"Lets pick up the pace you scrawny little lab rat, I mean, you ridiculously young trainee. I haven't got all day", the irritable man hurried the youth, pausing for a moment and then starting into a monologue of sorts, "Well, actually…I think I do have all day. But I rather spend time on a more interesting specimen, I mean, spend my time doing something more interesting. So I would rather find out how dull you are going to be now so I can decide how long I'm going to hold onto you."

Despite the urging to pick up the pace, Cloud moved hesitantly over to the unwelcoming chair, unintentionally dragging his feet. The youth paused in front of the chair only able to stare at it with distrust and uncertainty. "Oh hurry it up you little rat before I call for someone to physically force you into that seat", the old man hissed, the harshness, and sincerity, in the man's voice startling the blond.

Cloud turned uneasily, placed his hands on the ends of the arm rests, and unwillingly lowered himself down and back into the chair, pulling his feet reluctantly from the floor and placing them in the spots he assumed he was intended to place his feet.

The very same second he finished placing his feet and sliding all the way back into the seat, restraints clicked into place around his wrists and just above his ankles, and a crescent shaped padded neck rest pressed itself up against the back of his neck. Panic stricken, Cloud instinctively struggled against the restraints, summoning every ounce of strength to try and free his arms and legs.

No matter how hard he jerked his limbs, no matter how much he pulled against the metal wrapped around his wrists and lower legs, no matter how hard he thrashed, the restraints wouldn't budge. Quickly his lower arms, the backs of his legs, and ankles began to throb with pain as bruises already began to form on his delicate pale skin wherever his body slammed into the cold hard metal.

The old man only chuckled at Cloud's panicked state and continued whatever it was he was doing at the table. "We have a real fighter. Though I don't think you're going to get anywhere with that inane thrashing", the scientist mused aloud, glancing coldly over at Cloud before commanding, "Now cut that out. You're making far too much racket and all the movement is going to make it much more difficult for me to run my tests."

Panting and aching, Cloud managed to stop himself from fighting his bonds, but no matter how hard he tried he could not stop the panic consuming him. His heart raced and each beat of the important muscle shook his entire chest. Shaking and in cold sweats, the blond glanced over at the scientist still working away at the table next to him.

Dark eyes glared back at the blond momentarily but soon returned to table. "I'm assuming you're done then", the scientist stated blandly, looking over at the stricken youth once more.

Cloud wrenched his eyes from the scientist and glared at the floor, his mind going numb. Though it didn't seem possible, the old man's frown depended. "How rude. A child refusing to answer the question of an elder", the scientist growled, "Not only that but you certainly are not paying respect where it's due. Perhaps I should explain to you just who I am since you are to naïve to know anything besides how to be a great brute."

The old scientist turned on his heel, his long white lab coat swirling around his legs. "I am Professor Hojo, head scientist and you will do well to remember me and treat me with the respect I deserve", the professor lectures folding his arms over his chest.

'Professor…Hojo…', Cloud thought numbly to himself trying to remember where he had heard that name before and if he had heard it ever before now, but he couldn't remember if he had with his current state of mind.

"Unimpressed I see but that makes no difference. I didn't expect someone as simple minded as you to fully appreciate my genius", Hojo gloated turning back to the table adding as an after thought, "Go ahead and begin the recorder and start the sensors. I'm ready to start with this one."

The man that had led Cloud to this room swiftly walked over to the computer imbedded in the counter across the room from the chair. He clicked away on the key board, reached over and turned a few knobs on a nearby panel, and flipped a switch. Once he finished he swiveled the chair around and nodded, declaring, "Everything is all set Professor."

Hojo grinned darkly and picked something up off the table but Cloud was too freaked out to look over. "Candidate Number 153, Cloud Strife. Mako testing proceeding as planned. Moving forward with type 2 mako injection", Hojo stated coldly for the purpose of notes.

Cloud retreated as far into him self as he could go, trying his hardest to forget where he was and what was happening. If he could just block everything out maybe this would all pass that much easier. Maybe if he pretend he was somewhere else it wouldn't be so bad.

A sharp twinge in his upper left arm jerked Cloud completely back into reality. His skin around the point where he had felt the twinge slowly started to burn and the sensation of something slowly leaking into his arm took over his senses.

Almost instantly Cloud's arm began to throb and a searing pain raced through every nerve in his body causing him to grimace and clench his eyes shut. A thin layer of sweat formed over the surface of his skin. It felt as if his body was lighting on fire from the inside out.

At first the pain came in quick pulses, consuming his body for mere seconds before dispersing for a few split seconds. He could feel his muscles begin to strain and flex with the short waves, and as the waves became longer, the blond felt the control he had over his body slipping away. Quickly the pain transitioned into being constant and there were no more split seconds of relief.

All control of his body was lost when his muscles began to convulse from the pain racking his entire body. His breathing grew erratic, his heart pounded desperately against his rib cage, throbbing uncontrollably within his chest, and a strangled cry of pain escaped his lips.

Muscles tightening, Cloud arched his back, every ounce of his being straining against the cursed pieces of metal holding him in place. His body convulsed once more and he bucked more violently against the restraints, the chair rattling from the force behind his struggles. His body fought to curl inward on its own once the second wave of convulsions stopped, but he was unable to lean forward more than a couple of inches.

Tears streaked down his pale face unhindered. What was once a thin layer of sweat turned into droplets running down his entire body. Strained cries trapped within a tight throat and behind clenched teeth bounced around the room mixing with the gentle hum of the machinery.

A ripping sensation spread throughout Cloud's chest causing him to jerk backwards in the seat, throwing his head back in anguish. He wanted to scream but his nothing but sharp bursts of air would pass through his throat and out his pale lips now, but soon the desire to scream passed, replaced with the frantic fight to breath.

Still straining against his bonds and struggling to breath, Cloud's eyes slowly opened only to give him a view of the ceiling and rafters. Details blurred and the lights began to intensify and fade in short pulsating waves, and then the lights grew overwhelming. Cloud's world turned to white for a few moments, during which time the blond could still feel and hear everything, and then…

Cloud's whole world turned black and every one of his senses when numb. He could see nothing. He could hear nothing. He could feel nothing.

…………..

Zack paced back and forth in front of the door way to the waiting room of the medical ward. He had originally planned to just go about his day and check in on Cloud latter, but the desire to know how everything had gone had proved too great for the operative. So rather than fight the inevitable, the dark haired operative had wandered all the way up to the medical ward.

Arriving with the initial impression that it would not be more than a half hour before he saw the blond, Zack had started out by camping in front of the door. At first he simply leaned against the wall, his strong arms folded in front of his formed chest. After about ten or fifteen minutes he lost the ability to hold still and began doing squats to pass the time. Another fifteen minutes passed and the squats began to loose their distraction value.

Getting more than a little board, Zack had begun to pace a little, taking a rather messy path up and down the hallway and taking lazy swiveling turns when ever he redirected himself to go back in the direction he had just come from. As he wandered up and down the hall his mind began to race a little, an onslaught of questions, thoughts, and concerns slowly building up in the back of his head. His thoughts going further and further in the direction of worry, Zack's pacing tightened up considerably. His path was becoming more and more strait, and his wide turns became tight, short, and deliberate in nature.

The operative sighed out of anxiety. It was taking Cloud longer then he had expected, and not just by a little bit. Normally testing and acclimation ran about a half hour but the hour marker was coming up fast, and he couldn't figure out why it was taking his boyfriend so long.

Maybe there had been complications. Zack swallowed hard as he stopped to stare at the long sliding door that had yet to slide open except for when another candidate had entered a little while ago. His heart pounded a little harder in his chest and his mind raced a little more with all the bad possibilities it could come up with.

One bad possibility after another played it self through his mind before he finally shook his head and took a deep breath. Just because the blond hadn't come out yet didn't necessarily mean something had gone wrong. There was also the possibility that the scientists and medical staff doing the testing were just simply running behind schedule.

Zack ran both of his hands through his spiky black hair before interlocking his fingers behind his head. He shook his head, lecturing himself momentarily about being to quick to jump to bad conclusions. "After all, it isn't unusual in the least for things around here to run behind schedule", he reassured himself out loud as the conclusion of his self lecture.

After a few deep breaths, the normally happy-go-lucky operative walked back over to the wall directly across from the door and took up his original stance when he had first arrived, arms folded and everything. He closed his eyes and forced himself to start thinking about happier things, like next weekend when he would really have his chance to help Cloud celebrate his birthday. A soft smile formed on his thin lips as he walked himself through his grand plan for next Saturday, visuals playing themselves with ease in his minds eye.

He could see it all. The sun would just be starting to go down as he and Cloud walked into town sometime after six. They would stop at a small restaurant Zack had come to rather enjoy that he thought Cloud would like called "The Blue Chocobo". Cloud would choose where the two of them would sit and they would then take their time enjoying their meal in the relaxed atmosphere of the place.

Zack continued to visualize what was too come, walking through his wonderful plan, but was pulled from his mental walkthrough when he heard the door slid open in front of him. His blazing blue eyes snapped open and his chipper mood when out like a candle that had been assaulted with a bucket of cold water. Cloud looked like nothing more than a breathing doll standing in the doorway.

Cloud took a few weak thoughtless steps forward, leaving the sensor range of the door causing it to slide shut behind him. The blond stood swaying slightly in front of the now closed door, his eyes expressionless and dull, and his face void of any real expression. He was holding his right arm in front of his body, with his hand grasping weakly at his left arm just above the elbow. The blonde's posture was relaxed, though a little too relaxed for Zack's liking, with his shoulders sagging and his head tilted slightly forward.

The most unnerving thing about the blonde's appearance had to be his eyes. Not only were they empty in appearance, they seemed to be looking right through everything. It was if Cloud was seeing but not at the same time. Everything his eyes were taking in wasn't really being registered the rest of the way back in his head. It was like he was looking directly through Zack as if he was nothing more than air.

"Oh gods", Zack whispered leaning slowly forward off the metal wall of the hallway. The dark haired operative walked slowly up to Cloud and carefully placed a hand on one of the younger man's drooped shoulders. He leaned in, tilting his head and bending over a little so he could look the blond directly in the face.

Zack very gently shook his boyfriend and whispered a quick "Hey, Cloud" trying to gain some sort of response from him. When the first little shake didn't do it, he carefully jostled the blonde's shoulder again. "Hey Cloud", the operative spoke again in a low gentle voice, "You with me buddy? Are you alright?"

Cloud lifted his head slightly to look directly at Zack. Almost as soon as Zack could flash the younger youth a caring smile the youth blinked blankly at him and then slowly dropped his gaze back more in the direction of the ground.

With a look just short of pure pathetic and depressed, Zack sighed and straitened back up, keeping his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. The mako testing and acclimation had really taken a toll on Cloud though he couldn't imagine why Cloud was this bad. It was true some responded more severely to the testing and what not, but the point Cloud was at was nothing short of unreal.

Zack had seen candidates come out of all this looking spaced out but they all still had the capacity to respond. Cloud, it seemed, didn't even have the capacity to really react to anything at this point. It was like someone had hit the off switch for everything but vital functions. The older youth had also seen candidates come out exhausted before, but the blond was more than exhausted. He was absolutely drained. His body looked so limp.

It looked like Zack had made the right choice to give in and come wait for Cloud. The blond was in no state to be left on his own, and there was no doubt in Zack's mind that if Zahawk and his remaining lackeys saw Cloud wandering in the state alone, they would surly relish the precious time they would be able to make of his lifeless state. Yes, it was more than a good thing that he had given in and waited for Cloud outside the medical wing.

The older youth turned to start walking down the hallway, urging Cloud to walk with him by lightly pulling at the blonde's shoulder with the tips of his fingers. Cloud turned slowly with the pressure and Zack took a few slow steps down the hallway, his hand sliding from his Boyfriend's shoulder. Although the younger youth had turned to face the right direction he wasn't following after the older youth.

After a few seconds of waiting for the younger youth to start moving, the operative took a step or two backwards and reached for one of the blonde's limp arms. His fingertips brushed the other youth's skin and as if that was all that was necessary, the blond started to amble forward. Vaguely relived by the technical reaction to a slight stimulus, Zack set off to lead the small candidate through the compound.

Although concerned about how well Cloud would be able to handle stairs, the dark haired youth led the blond in the direction of the stairs, glancing back subtly every few seconds to make sure he was still being followed. Moving down the hallway, Zack became more confident that other youth would be able to manage the stairs without too much of a problem. The blond was walking easily enough anyway, and he wasn't showing any sign of real difficulty.

Zack turned to head down the stairs and glanced back over his shoulder two or three steps down only to discover Cloud was ambling right by the stairs. He scurried back up the steps and down the few feet of hallway after the blond, reaching out to gently clasp a hand around the doll like blonde's wrist as soon as he caught up to him. Right on contact, the other youth ceased walking.

The operative sighed yet again, this time feeling just a little sick as he finally accepted the Cloud really was almost one-hundred percent disconnected from reality at this time. There was no way he could count on him to simply follow him, and there was absolutely no way he was going to leave him alone until this state had passed. This meant that bringing Cloud back to the candidate rooming was no longer an option.

Well, Zack could still bring the youth back there, but it would appear more than a little off if a SOLDIER operative led a mindless candidate back to their room and then spent the rest of the day just sitting in there with him. It really went without saying that a prolonged presence in the candidate wing would draw more attention than he would like to. In fact, it would probably bring more than just unwanted attention. It would probably cause Cloud trouble latter down the road, and the youth's constant association with him had already caused some repercussions. So going back to the candidate wing was now definitely out of the picture.

The next option the dark haired operative had was to bring the small youth back to the infirmary. In the infirmary he could be sure that Cloud wouldn't be left entirely alone and that the youth would be safe from Zahawk and his crazy followers.

However, as tempting of a possibility the infirmary was, Zack was unwilling to bring the youth back there. For one thing, it wouldn't look to good on the candidate's record that he had to return after mako testing and acclimation. It would make him look incompetent and unsuitable to be a member of SOLDIER. This being especially true because the staff had cleared him to leave the ward, which meant they thought he was fine and in no need of assistance. So taking the youth back to the medical ward was now out of the picture as well.

Zack stood there, still holding onto Cloud's wrist, as he thought through further options. He could possibly walk around with Cloud in tow until he could find Kitami, Shin, or possibly both of them. He could trust the two of them to look after Cloud.

He thought about the new option for a few seconds before dismissing it. Running around the SOLDIER compound with a candidate being dragged along behind him was going to bring just as much, if not more, attention as sitting with the candidate in the candidate wing. Once again another option was struck from the list of possibilities.

After a few more seconds another option dawned on the dark haired youth. He could just simply bring Cloud back to his room. He had no roommates, so he wouldn't have to worry about someone making an issue of it and the blond wouldn't be in the way of anyone.

On top of their being no roommate, Zack didn't really have any official plans for the day so he would be able to stick around the blond for most of the day which would mean he could keep on eye on the candidate. What was better was that if he needed to leave for a little bit, he knew that he Cloud would be safe in his room. To top it all off, his room was a quiet place that Cloud could rest without being disturbed, and right now, that seemed like something the small blond needed.

It was settled. Zack was just going to bring Cloud back to his room. It was his best option out of everything he could come up with. The operative pulled Cloud gently by the wrist and the doll state blond followed him obediently over to the stairs.

Zack continued to hold onto the blonde's wrist until he reached the glass doors to go back out into the courtyard. He ushered Cloud through the door and used a gentle hand on the shoulder to guide the blond in the right direction as he stepped by the younger youth. He continued to lead the blond all the way to the barracks, using small touched to redirect the other youth when it was necessary and glancing back occasionally to make his boyfriend hadn't wandered off.

Once inside the barracks, however, it was like auto pilot had finally turned on inside the small youth's head. The blond meekly pressed a hand to the elevator call button and boarded the moving box the second the doors finish sliding open. Inside the elevator he mindlessly reached for the third floor button. "Hold up there Cloud", Zack chuckled weakly, softly placing a hand over the blonde's reaching one to push it back down and away from the button, "Your going somewhere a little different than where you're used to."

With the hand that wasn't over Cloud's, Zack hit the button for the fifth floor. Now that he thought about it, the blond had never even been to his room before. It was a shame that the first time the delicate youth was going to see the place was while he was to out of it to really comprehend anything.

Zack chuckled at the thought of having to explain to Cloud later where he was and how he got there. It was going to be an awkward, yet somehow amusing, situation to say the least. While Zack mused over what he was going to say, the delicate blonde's breathing suddenly picked up.

Alarmed, the operative pulled himself from his thoughts to look Cloud over. The other youth seemed paler than he had before and a thin layer of sweat was quickly forming over his delicate skin. His chest was moving far more visibly than it had before and his lifeless eyes had a hint of pain deep within them. Then, just as suddenly as all the new symptoms began to appear, the blonde's knees gave way sending him plummeting to the floor of the elevator.

"Shit", Zack hissed as he only barely managed to catch his boyfriend, preventing the light framed teen from cracking his head against the side of the elevator. The operative readjusted from kneeling on one knee to half sitting as he shifted his boyfriend's limp shaking body so he could cradle him in his arms.

As soon as the doors opened with a soft chime, the older youth hoisted the smaller youth into his arms and rose carefully to his feet, the normally light youth feeling much heavier than normal due to his state of dead weight.

Breathing heavy from the subtle distress starting to creep up on him, Zack carried Cloud through the hallways of the fifth floor towards his own room. Saying Cloud was in bad shape was more than an understatement at this point, and the operative was now praying to the life stream that all Cloud would get through this with some rest and a little bit of time.

Not quite panicking just yet, Zack's mind started to get away from him yet again, which seemed to happen a lot when it came to the small youth who he was currently carrying. What if Cloud really needed to go back to the medical ward? What if rest and time wasn't all Cloud needed to get through this? Was it bad idea after all to have brought the blond this far? Had he moved the younger youth too much too soon? Was it his fault his boyfriend had collapsed?

Zack shook his head as he made the final turn onto the hallway his room was located off of. He was getting worked up far too easily once again. A candidate passing out after mako testing was not unheard of and it wasn't rare. It also wasn't impossible for the candidate to make it a little ways before they passed out. In fact, he himself had done it and remembered that moment…those few seconds…all too well.

He could barely remember the actual mako testing and acclimation. He had remembered bits and pieces of it, but for the most part he remembered an injection, immense irritation, a sort of painful pulsating feeling running through his nerves, and then walking out into the medical ward sitting room. He had left feeling a little light headed and dazed, like he severely needed sleep or something. He had then made it all the way back to his room where he collapsed almost as soon as he walked through the door. The next thing he remembered he was waking up a few hours later on his bed with one of his roommates looking after him.

So with all memories more or less searched and taken into account, it was far too soon to officially freak out. A little calmer because of the decision, Zack leaned against the wall next to the door to his room. As carefully as he could, the dark haired youth brought up his leg next to the wall to provide support for the blond, He pulled away his arm by the wall slowly, wanting to make sure he could still hold the blond with only one arm and a leg.

Satisfied that he wasn't going to drop his precious load, Zack clumsily typed in the code for his room and the door slid open almost instantly. With a grunt the SOLDIER operative readjusted the trainee in his arms and staggered through the door with him cradled against his chest.

With a sigh the dark haired operative lowered his unconscious boyfriend onto his relatively beat up old leather couch. At first he lingered next to the unconscious blond, running his lightly tanned hand over the younger youth's smooth pale face. It was colder to the touch than the older youth had expected, but his concern was kept to a minimum since his love's breathing had calmed somewhat.

Zack straitened up and looked around his simple little room that was actually very much a luxury. Along the right hand wall was his pathetic little excuse for a TV that worked well enough most of the time, not that he stuck around to use it all that much. Halfway between the TV and the couch was his small little wooden coffee table that was surprisingly clean for once, which was a relief to Zack since that meant a little les cleaning he would have to do before his boyfriend woke up.

Against the far wall from the door was his bulky leather recliner that he could never recline in because it was too close to the wall and window. The operative frowned when he realized he had some of his dirty clothes just flung carelessly all over the seat. The coffee table might have been clean but the rest of the room really wasn't and the chair was just his quick reminder. With that in mind he turned to look at his table against the wall behind the couch.

The table being one of the two closest things to the door, and for the most part right in front of it, had some of the operatives training gear scattered over it's surface along with a few old take out boxes. Zack wrinkled his nose at the sight. It wasn't uncommon for him to have some garbage on his table, and it wasn't necessarily the garbage that bothered him. What bothered him was the fact that he hadn't eaten take out up here for a couple weeks. But the odd thing was that there was no smell or anything, which could only mean that there wasn't any old food left in them. In its own right, this little fact was somewhat of a comfort…at least it meant he didn't have to go track down air freshener.

The more Zack looked around his sitting room the more he realized why he hadn't brought Cloud to his room yet. It was a mess. The book case next to the door was disorganized with books sitting haphazardly on top along with a few misplaced papers. The actual shelves were relatively in order but there were a few places where books had fallen over and some of the trinkets in the open spaces looked as if he hadn't touched them in a while.

Next to his bedroom door on the right wall and not too far from his TV sat his overflowing laundry basic. It wasn't that he never did laundry, it was just his laundry basket was too small. But the excuse that he had been meaning to buy a better one was hardly going to make his room look any cleaner.

At first Zack only shook his head, kicking himself mentally for letting his room stay in such a messy state, but when he realized that he had probably laid his love down on part of that mess he could only hand his head in shame.

He turned his attention back to the unconscious blond on his couch. Carefully he sat the blond up shoving all the paper the younger youth's back had been on top of off the couch and onto the floor. Positive there was nothing else on the couch, Zack slowly lowered Cloud's head back down.

Once again the operative looked around the room. Cloud was rather cold to the touch and the operative had a spare blanket lying around somewhere in this part of his room. He spotted his dark blue blanket on the other side of the couch. Quickly he reached for it and drugged it over to himself.

Taking the blanket by two of the corners Zack shook it a few times to untangle it and then proceeded to gently place it over the unconscious form of his boyfriend, revealing the large gray wolves printed into the fabric of the blanket.

Next Zack retreated into his bedroom for a few seconds to retrieve one of his soft gray pillows. As soft as the couch was, a pillow made sleeping on the thing a much more pleasant experience. That and Zack wanted to do everything he could for the blond. There would be no cutting corners in any way, shape, or form. Of course the bed probably would have been a better choice for his boyfriend but Zack wanted to wash and change the sheets before letting someone else in it. After all, sheets needed to be changed every two weeks or so and two weeks was coming up.

Only after the pillow was under the blonde's spiky haired head did the operative turn his attention to his room again. "He could stay out for a while but…", the operative thought out loud, glancing slowly around his room, taking in the dirty clothes, the multitude of misplaced papers, the disheveled bookshelf, and the presence of week old trash that should have been gone by now, "…the sooner this place looks clean the better I'll feel. I just don't think I want to run the risk of him waking up to see my room in this…state."

With yet another sigh, Zack ran a callused hand through his black spiky hair. He had his work cut out for him but it was for the better. Determined, as ready as he was ever going to be, and with the motivation only Cloud gave him, Zack set to work on straitening up his room and cleaning up his bathroom that consisted of nothing more than a sink and a toilet.

…………..

Wearily Cloud blinked his eyes open. His head was spinning and his stomach was both screaming at him in hunger and threatening to empty everything it didn't have inside of it. Each muscle in his body ached and his chest felt as if someone had spent the last few hours just sitting on it.

Muscles surging with protest, Cloud sat up slowly, each and every one of his joints creaking and popping. His vision spun with the effort, and the blond had to clench his eyes shut to stop from becoming even more disoriented. He reached up with his left hand to grasp the back of the couch to steady him self while he waited for the spinning feeling to stop.

Certain the room had ceased to dance around his stationary body, Cloud reopened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He looked around the room blankly. When he had first been waking up his brain was telling him that he had to be in either his own room or the medical wing, but from what he was seeing he wasn't in either of those places.

Cloud slowly looked around the room, his already upset stomach twisting into a knot. He didn't recognize this place at all. His mind was offering no possibilities and the more he looked around the whit walled room the more he wondered where the hell he was.

Stiffly the blond turned his body to place his feet on the dark navy carpeted floor. The carpeting was soft and warm beneath his feet but it did little to calm his slowly reawakening nerves. With a grunt the youth lifted him self shakily off the worn leather couch. Still teetering slightly on his feet, the youth turned cautiously to get a better look around the room.

The cool air caused his body to shiver. Not liking the change from being warm and comfortable to cold Cloud reached for the blanket that had slipped off of him to dangle halfway off the couch. He wrapped the wolf blanket around himself tightly and resumed his quest of exploration.

In front of him was a small dark wooden coffee table stacked with piles of papers, folders, and files. Just beyond that was a metal framed TV sitting on a dark metal stand and storage unit. The two small shelves below the screen were for the most part empty except for a few DVDs lined neatly up side by side on the top shelf. To the right of the TV sat a small white basket with two neatly folded stacks of clothes inside. A little more to the right were two doors spaced only a foot or two away from each other.

The first of the two doors was halfway closed but Cloud could make out the corner of a bed just beyond it. The second door was wide open revealing a small gray tiled room. Judging by the metal counter and sink, Cloud assumed the room was a simple bathroom.

To his left Cloud found a plush, worn, leather recliner that matched the couch he had been laying on. About even with the chair Cloud spotted heavy navy curtains that he assumed were drawn closed in front of a window.

The candidate half stumbled over to the covered window, his legs shaking weakly from supporting his weight. With one hand he pulled one half of the curtains out of the way of the window to reveal a simple skyline of Shinra buildings. The sky was an inky gray with a twinge of purple and deep red, which could only mean the sun was setting somewhere out of sight.

With a sigh Cloud let go of the navy curtain and let his hand fall back by his side. He now had an idea of what time it was but he was no closer to figuring out where he was. The blond turned back around and looked tiredly around the simple room once again.

The spinning Cloud had experienced early slammed back into his head with a vengeance and he could feel his sense of balance and direction quickly slipping away from him. Stomach threatening more than ever to cause him problems, the blond youth slowly and clumsily made his way back over to the sofa where he promptly sat down to regain himself.

A wave of drowsiness washed over the blond and he found himself helpless to resist the urge to lay back down, the fluffy gray pillow all to comforting to his slowly throbbing head. He closed his eyes, easily drifting towards sleep but soon found himself only on the verge of sleep, his body shivering slightly. The blanket may have been wrapped around him effectively while he was standing, but now that he was lying down it was no longer doing its job.

Sorely, and with muscles growing limp with exhaustion, Cloud wrestled with the blanket for a few moments until it covered his whole body. Although it was tangled around him he felt comfortable and warm and that was all that mattered. Once again he found himself drifting back to sleep.

Cloud startled as he heard the sound of a metallic door sliding closed. His led coated heart jumped from his compressed chest to his raw throat. He attempted to go from completely vertical to sitting up but failed miserably, his head only making it a few inches off his pillow.

He groaned pathetically as he clenched his eyes shut, the world distorting in a white and gray blur since all he could see was the paneling of the roof and the tops of the walls. "So my sleeping beauty is finally awake", came a light masculine voice from somewhere in the room.

"Huh", Cloud managed to sound off miserably. The blond turned his head in hopes of discovering the source of the disembodied voice but found him self dead out of luck. Still out of it and his initial fear already dead and buried, the youth found him self closing his eyes as his muscles relaxed.

A smooth hand brushed over Cloud's brow, pushing his bangs up and out of the way before coming to rest on his forehead. "Well", the voice started, continuing only after the hand slid down to caress the blonde's face, "you seem to be doing better than you where earlier. So how do you feel?"

Disoriented like head been the first time he woke up, Cloud blinked his eyes slowly to look up at the owner of the hand and voice who was leaning on the back of the couch. The youth blinked slowly one more time before whispering meekly, "Zack?"

"You got it blonde", Zack responded softly with a grin before gently ruffling his boyfriend's already messy hair.

"I feel…", Cloud started only to pause as he searched his mind for a word he felt should have been much easier to pull into his grasp.

Zack sat down on his now mostly clean coffee table, careful not to knock over one of his neat stacks of papers and files, waiting patiently for the blond to find his words. "Weak", Cloud finally finished after a few seconds, the word rolling strangely off his tongue.

With a trade mark grin Zack reached out to the cute little blond and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry blonde. With a little rest you will be back to normal in no time", the older man reassured in a gentle tone.

Cloud slowly ran his own hand through his hair to restore it to his preferred messy style and sighed as deeply as his tiered chest would allow him to. He trusted Zack's words but he felt like he was going to need more than a little rest to recover from…well, now that he thought about it he couldn't really remember everything that had happened to him. He had gone to the medical wing for testing, ended up following a young man down a corridor into a weird room, and then after talking to an older man everything became a blur. Despite how little he could recall, the blond could remember his body screaming in agony and just remembering the pain caused the youth to shutter.

"Zack", Cloud whispered.

"Yes Cloud", the older youth answered quietly still watching the blond with gentle loving eyes.

Cloud sat silent for a moment while he formed his thoughts into a statement. Finally confident he wasn't going to spit out a mess of words the blond whispered, "What happened to me? I mean, what exactly happened to me? I can't really remember much."

It was now Zack's turn to sit in silence. What was he going to tell his love interest? The worst possibility that came to the dark haired operatives mind was 'I have no idea. For all I know they stuck you full of needles, cloned you, and altered your memory some how.'

After thinking for a few moments Zack finally sighed and shook his head. "To be honest, I have no way of knowing what exactly happened to you. I do know that you were injected with mako. Beyond that it's up to the discretion of who ever was putting you through the testing."

This answer was not exactly what the blond wanted to hear but he was too exhausted to get all that visibly upset about it. Actually, the blond was too worn out to get all the upset internally as well. Unable to muster any other response, Cloud opted to simply nod his head.

"Hey Cloud", Zack asked quietly while his concern for the blond grew inside of him.

"Ya", the blond candidate responded after a few seconds.

The dark haired youth went quiet once again, his heart racing in his chest while he tried to get the words he wanted to say out. He had been thinking about it all afternoon but now that he was trying to say his thoughts out loud to his boyfriend he couldn't get them out.

There was no way it was a good idea for Cloud to go back to his own room tonight. The candidate had spent all day out cold, and even now he had very little energy. What if Zahawk and his thugs tried something? There was no way Cloud would be able to fend them off in this state. True, Kitami and Shin would be in the room all night but that just wasn't comforting enough. Besides, Tory Himora was in Cloud's room, and despite what the blond said about the other youth, Zack didn't trust Tory as far as he could throw him (And Zack wasn't even sure he could catch the other youth so he couldn't throw him).

The blond youth opened his dark blue eyes and fixed them wearily on Zack. Before Cloud could try to start speaking Zack sighed and whispered, "Sorry."

The dark haired youth took a deep breath and did his best to relax. "Cloud", he started as calmly as he could, though he still wasn't sure why he was so nervous, "I think you should stay with me tonight."

A/N: Right, as always, let me know what you thought. Reviews really do help me to keep writing, and critical reviews help me keep an eye on what I should work on. Improvement is always a good thing and if you can help me do than bring it!

The question (or questions) for this chapter is this: How do you think Zack's propostion is going to go? What do you think will happen in the next chapter? (And my favorite question) What is your favorite part of the chapter or the stroy so far?

All right people, click that button at the bottom of the screen that contains the word "review" and let me know what you think! Till next time, happy reading!!