Agh...my friend talked me out of it. So it ends the same as it did before but I just kinda....remade it. So ya. She liked the cheesy ending. But whether you readers realize it or not...it's not cheesy...it happens every day. Miracles are things people wish for. they just dont realize when they've found one.

disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot.

Lone Racer

Chapter 10: Life or Death

All stood outside the courtroom waiting to go in. That is all except Cloud and Vincent.

Rufus shifts his weight to his other foot impatiently. "Where are they? We have to go in there in just a couple minutes."

Hurried footsteps clank against the floor and over to the three; Reno, Rufus, and Tseng. Vincent drags Cloud behind him to a stop.

The young racer's face is worn and pale while bags hang under his eyes from no sleep. Cloud takes a deep breath and turns to Tseng, mustering all the strength he can.

"Zack was…pronounced dead at one this morning. I-If I…if I would've gone to him when he was…maybe-he would still be alive."

Vincent puts a hand on his distressed friend's shoulder, "No one needs to blame his self. There's nothing that could have been done or it would have. All we can do is hope that Leon comes out of the critical ward okay."

Everyone nods full of grief and pain of each and every kind.

Rufus takes his seat while Reno, Cloud, Vincent, and Tseng sit in the bench behind him. Sephiroth sits horizontal to Rufus with his lawyer next to him.

The young lawyer looks to be like a miniature mirror of Sephiroth. Clad in a black suit, his silver hair falls to his shoulders like spun silk. His poisonous green eyes gleam mischievously.

The judge enters and the bailiff says aloud, "All stand for the Honorable Judge Cid."

As instructed everyone stands as a man with short flaxen hair and penetrating blue eyes strides in and takes his appointed seat.

Sephiroth's lawyer, Kadaj, starts things off.

"My client, Sephiroth Jenova, adopted Squall Leonhart with no strings attached. Another point is why would my client need to scheme to get rich and famous when he already is? My client is not at fault for anything. Rufus Shinra is the one who injured someone, not my client. I call Cloud Strife to the stand."

Cloud makes his way to the stand, all the while the jury's eyes are attracted tot eh small cast that adorns Cloud's right wrist.

Kadaj stares hard at Cloud, "Who shot you Mr. Strife?"

Without hesitation Cloud answers, "Rufus Shinra."

"Whose people came and took you from your home?"

"Rufus's…"

"That's all Mr. Strife. As you can see people of the Jury, Mr. Shinra is at fault more than my client is." with that Kadaj and Cloud return to their seats.

Cid looks at Rufus and raises a blonde eyebrow, "Will you be your own lawyer Mr. Shinra?"

Rufus nods and stands. "Yes and my first point will be the letter that I received from Laguna Leonhart, or Squall's father."

The bailiff takes the document and hands it to the Judge to be read aloud.

"My dear friend Rufus, I am afraid that you were right, I cannot escape my past. Jenova's agents have been tailing me all through Europe. I doubt I'll make it home…I'll never shake them. They've delayed my flights and frozen my funds. I have left my son, Squall, at an orphanage near the edge of the town where I used to live. A woman named Lilith works there and besides a promise, she holds the papers stating, that only you and I can adopt my son back. Please make hast my friend, for my time has run out. You're Friend, Laguna."

Rufus sighs, "But I didn't get there fast enough. Lilith, the woman Laguna mentioned in his letter, had died in a fatal car accident. The papers and the boy had disappeared. Years later Sephiroth contacted me and said he had Squall. If I didn't do as I was instructed then he would have no problem killing the boy since he now controlled a stealthy gang. But still the leader of said gang, Seifer, attacked Squall and left him for dead. Which from my knowledge is where Cloud enters; he saves Squall and in return is hunted down like a dog. There's more than one account of violence inflicted upon both Cloud and Squall along with his now dead friend Zack."

Cid rubs his chin, "I see…from what is known there are two attempted murders and one murder."

"No! There's more to it than that!" a female voice cries from the back of the large courtroom.

Cid sighs, "And who are you young lady?"

"My name is Rinoa. I was a servant in the Jenova household. Leon entrusted all his thoughts and experiences to me…including his journal. Sephiroth is not only cruel but a sick man as well."

Rinoa approaches Cid with a small leather bound book in her hands.

"I hate to spill his traumatizing memories…but…if it puts that thing in prison, then I'm sure it will be fine. It started to two years ago, I'm sure Vincent-err- Mr. Valentine knows as well. Sephiroth sexually abused Squall…repeatedly."

All eyes turn to Sephiroth as Cid grabs a hold of the book. "Mr. Valentine, please approach and take the stand."

Vincent moves from his seat to take the stand and everyone's immediate attention.

"Now Mr. Valentine, did Squall tell you about any of this?"

"Yes he did."

"Do you mind providing a more detailed answer?"

Vincent sighs heavily, rounding up all his thoughts.

"Since Rufus was worried Sephiroth might do something, I stayed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but only on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Just so Sephiroth didn't get suspicious. On Saturday I went back and couldn't get Squall out of his room.

"He was perfectly fine Thursday, till when I was supposed to leave. After I forced my way in I made Squall tell me what was going on."

Vincent shakes his head, sending his short brown hair swaying. "He told me that he was confused and showed me the bruises on his arms. Squall said they came from where Sephiroth had dragged him and raped him.

"That night I informed both Rufus and Sephiroth that I would stay with Squall for the night. But the assaults didn't stop because I couldn't be there all the time. I've never told anyone because he…asked me not too, till the right time."

Cid stares absolutely shocked, "That's all Mr. Valentine. Is there anything else anyone wants to add in?" With no response Cid continues, "Okay then, I think this will be essentially easy. The Jury may leave to decide."

The gavel crashes down and the Jury members pile out.

Cloud jumps up, "I'm going to the hospital. Call me with the verdict." The young blonde bolts out the door.

______________

His black boots click against the hospital's white tile floor. Cloud approaches the front desk.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where Squall Leonhart's room is?"

The lady turns to look up at him, "Oh Cloud? Is that really you?"

Motherly green eyes stare up at him and her long chestnut hair spirals down, held up by a pink ribbon.

"Aerith…I'm so sorry about Zack. Shouldn't you have the day off? That is since you were married."

"Cloud I work for the hospital. I loved Zack and I still do but I can't save him…but I can save people here. So why take the day off when I don't need to?" Cloud smiles at Aerith as she glances at the computer screen. "He's on Floor 3, Room 117. They just moved him out of the critical. They said he's begun to stabilize.

"Thanks Aerith."

"Cloud…I've been up to see him. Don't get your hopes up. He stills looks rather bad."

He only nods and takes off down a hallway to get to the elevator, not wanting to think about it, just wanting to get to young love.

White…nothing but sterile white.

Bandages, tubes, and beeping machines are the only things that draw Cloud's eyes as he enters Room 117.

Cloud plants his weary body down it the metal armchair at Leon's bedside. The young man's chest rises and falls slowly as if the hear is pacing itself.

Minutes pass as Cloud sits next to his darling, hoping that he'll wake up at any moment.

That's when Cloud turns to the heart monitor next to him just in time to see a long electric green line sail horizontally across the charcoal screen.

He had flat lined.

____________

Doctors and nurses had piled in and shoved Cloud out the door before closing it. The blonde still stands and stares at the door as if in a stupor.

The distressed racer moves like a sloth to the chairs in the adjacent room. As he does many sets of feet arrive in front of Cloud, each belonging to Reno, Rufus, and Vincent. Tseng had stayed at the courthouse to get the legal forms and such, thus allowing Rufus to go to his adopted son.

Vincent sits down, "Cloud we won the case! Be happy. Sephiroth was served with a life sentence. Seifer and the rest of his gang will be sentenced later on since they were also proven guilty."

Cloud shows a small smile but it dissolves immediately by a sad grimace.

Vincent frowns, "What happened? Is Squall okay?"

Rufus stares at the blonde horrified, not sure what had happened but expecting the worse.

Reno kneels down in front of Cloud, "Come on tell us…we can handle it what happened?"

"He…Squall flat lined." he mumbles out as a few stray tears streak down his cheeks.

For once in his life Vincent notices the visible fear that spreads across his boss's face. His countenance transforms into the face of a man who's worn and weathered, old even for his young years.

Rufus back away, to shaken to even make an audible sound.

A door opens silently as a doctor clad in white strides over to them. The doctor's blonde hair is slicked back to his devoted green eyes.

"Who is the guardian?"

Rufus inhales deeply before walking to the doctor, "I am, Rufus Shinra."

The doctor nods, "I'm Dr. Creech. I'm very sorry to inform you…but we've done everything we would. To our scientific knowledge…your son has passed, I'm very sorry."

Rufus swallows hard and Reno is immediately at his side pulling him into an embrace.

Vincent swivels around in his seat to consol Cloud only to notice that he's absent from his seat.

Cloud had jumped up and wrestled his way into the room. He throws himself in the chair at the bedside and his upper body on the bed, grasping at Squall's hands."

All the cords, tubes and such had been removed and the machines off, leaving no trouble to mourn over his lover.

Violent sobs rack Cloud's frame as tear after tear slides down his cheeks and drops onto the lifeless form below him.

The racer's fingers, from his uninjured hand, intertwine with that of Leon's, desperately trying to warm them, only to find them still warm.

Vincent strolls into the room filled with grief. He pulls Cloud away trying to take him out of the room.

As Cloud's hand slips away fingers attempt to grab his own. He goes frantic.

"Vincent, stop it right now! Squall's not dead! He's alive; he tried to grab my hand! Please listen to me Vincent? Let me go?"

Vincent sighs, "Cloud this is ridiculous, stop acting like this. The poor kid is gone and nothing and can bring him back. Whether you, I, Rufus, or Reno likes it, Squall is gone!"

As Vincent finally succeeds in dragging his friend out of the room, Dr. Creech walks back in with Rufus behind him.

Dr. Creech glances at Squall before turning to Rufus, "Would you like me to give you a moment?"

Rufus shakes his head, unable to form any words together. Silent tears roll down Rufus's countenance, powerless to his own emotions.

His closed eyes cannot see the slight twitch in the supposed dead body lying before him. The doctor stutters to find words but fails as he runs out of the room.

A slim hand grasps at Rufus's shirt sleeve. "P-Please…don't cry."

The older man's eyes widen as he looks down upon his alleged dead son. "Is it possible?"

Reno pokes his head in the doorway, "Rufus? Is everything okay? The doctor just ran…"

His voice trails off as he spins around, leaving.

Rufus stares down into stormy blue eyes, "Squall…how?"

The boy flashes a small smile, "Not my time…they just gave up and…didn't give me a chance…"

"Come look Cloud! It's a miracle!" shouts the voice of Reno.

The emotional wreck named Cloud shuffles into the room unwillingly, only going because the red head had dragged him in.

A delicate voice reaches Cloud's ears, "C-Come here…C-Cloud."

As beckoned Cloud closes the distant and sits down on the edge of the bed. His hand runs over Squall's cheek, lips, and hand. Satisfied that he's not an illusion Cloud smiles, "Y-You're alive!"

Squall's dim slate eyes gaze lovingly up at Cloud. "I would never leave you…not until I have to."

Tears of bliss trail down the blonde's face as the two lovers embrace each other.

Rufus smiles still shocked. He simply turns and walks out. Reno hurries after knowing that Rufus will be going to due the paperwork, the logical things that he could figure out.

Cloud and Squall stay by each other's side, knowing at any moment, their loved one could be snatched away by the untimely fate of death.

Epilogue

In the next passing years, Rufus and Reno and Cloud and Squall each join together in holy matrimony. Life for this group of ill-fated people seems to now flow smoothly.

Cloud excelled in the highest and finest quality of motorcycle racing. Much to Squall's dismay, Cloud continues to race weekly.

Tseng still works for Rufus, but now as the Head of Security.

Reno and Rufus run the business together, waiting for Squall to take up a job there as soon as he is able to.

On the other hand, Vincent had left the company and went into a stronger law enforcement that deals with hoping to stop the gangs that have begun to plague the cities.

But besides this switch of events these men have begun to finally live life as it was intended to be.

Tough and even slightly distressing…but always with people that care about you and ones that will never leave our side no matter what happens.

This ends the tale of a miracle that can happen to anyone; the miracle of life, love, and especially the phenomenon of overcoming death. Dreams happen every day but some are bigger than others…so always keep your eyes open for those both small and large!