Cloud had gotten back to his room at a decent time the night before, so Luxiere wouldn't be too suspicious. It was hard to say goodbye to Zack, but Zack had reassured him that when he got back, there would be plenty of hugs and kisses to be had. And so, they had kissed once more and Cloud had left, anxiously awaiting the next time they would be together. As for Zack, he felt torn. He by no means wanted to leave Cloud, but at the same time, he wanted to go out on this mission. He remembered what his mother had always told him; 'time apart makes a heart grow fonder'... or something like that. Looking at it that way, leaving didn't seem so bad.

"So, how was the party?" Luxiere asked when they woke up that morning. Cloud rolled over in his bed to look at his friend.

"What party?"

"The staff appreciation party. I heard you went."

"O-oh, yeah, I went. It was... fun," Cloud said, awkwardly. He had a feeling that this conversation was not going in a direction that he liked.

"You went with Zack, huh?" Luxiere asked, trying to read Cloud's expressions as he spoke. At the name 'Zack', Cloud had become very still.

"And his friend, Kunsel," Cloud added quickly, slipping into his nervous habit of getting the wrinkles out of whatever material was nearby. This time, it was the bedsheets.

"So, the other night when you weren't here, were you with Zack?"

"No, I was with Tifa. M-my friend from Nibelheim." Cloud managed to keep his voice fairly steady as he spoke, but he instantly regretted his choice of excuses. Tifa was miles away. Thanks to that, he had to continue his explanation.

"Nibelheim?" Luxiere asked, a bit incredulous. It wasn't like Cloud to lie, but if he had something to hide, maybe he felt more inclined to do so.

"Yeah, she was travelling to Midgar with her father, and arranged to meet me. I went to the inn with her and her father, and I fell asleep there. I-I didn't want to tell you before because I was embarrassed. I used to have a crush on her," Cloud said.

He was glad that at least the whole story hadn't been a lie. He had liked Tifa when he was young—that part was true—but not in the way he liked Zack. He realized how different that feeling was from what he'd felt for his childhood friend.

"I see. So, you thought I'd make fun of you?" Luxiere asked.

"Something like that." Luxiere stared at Cloud for a few moments, as if trying to read his mind, then he turned onto his back and stared at the bunk above him.

"You know, Cloud, I wouldn't make fun of you. And I wouldn't make fun of what you're still hiding from me."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

He wished so desperately for an escape. If Luxiere found out, he would be totally humiliated. It wasn't that he was afraid Luxiere would make a big deal of it, he was afraid it would change how Luxiere thought of him.

"You and Zack... There's something going on, isn't there?" Luxiere turned his head to look at Cloud again. Cloud stared at Luxiere in shock for a moment, then twisted his expression into a playful smile, but it was difficult to maintain.

"'Going on'? What do you mean? We're friends."

"Yeah, but I was starting to think you two were togeth—"

"It's not like that at all," Cloud said, getting defensive, even though he wished he hadn't.

"Okay, I know it's not my business, and that's fine if you're not. I just want you to know that it wouldn't bother me if there was something going on," Luxiere said, hoping his friend wouldn't have an outburst. Much to his relief, Cloud became silent then, and lowered his eyes.

"Thanks," the blond whispered.

"It's what friends are for."

In a way, Cloud wondered why he didn't just tell Luxiere the truth. Sure, it might be hard at first, but Cloud knew he would feel better if he did. And as far as he could tell, Luxiere was more than willing to accept his relationship with Zack. Yet, he still couldn't bring himself to admit the truth.

"But seriously, Zack's nothing more than a good friend." Cloud smiled, and Luxiere returned it with a nod.

Cloud was a little on the defensive side, and Luxiere couldn't help but feel his claim wasn't true, even though he wanted to believe him. In the end, what did it matter, anyway? He only wanted to know the truth to relieve the tension between them. The feeling of distrust and unease was hard to live with, and he only wanted to make life easier for both of them.

The whistle sounded then, and the two got up immediately to get in line for yet another morning of training.

"Cloud," Luxiere whispered, as he followed in line behind his friend.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for prying."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm by it," Cloud whispered back, and he truly believed it. His friend was probably just looking out for him, and with Zack away, Cloud was grateful to have someone by his side.

Zack stared out the door of the helicopter as they approached Junon, the place where they would be landing. The flight had bored him, even though it wasn't a long one. He wouldn't have minded travelling to Fort Condor completely on foot if it weren't for the mountains between it and Midgar. To get there, he would have to go through the Mythril Mines, and Shinra didn't want his mission to take that long. So, Zack endured the helicopter ride to Junon, and from there he would continue on foot.

Zack hardly even noticed that Cissnei was in the cockpit with him. Normally, she would have spoken to him, but he looked so deep in thought that she decided against it. All Zack could think of as he passed over the hilly terrain was his dear Cloud. He thought about the new steps they had taken together, and hoped he hadn't been too pushy with him. From what he could tell, though, Cloud hadn't minded their newest experiences together. Zack couldn't have been more pleased. He wanted Cloud to trust him, to let him get even closer to him. He wanted to know him better than he did now. And since he had told Cloud the three words that had seemed to mean so much to him, he had begun longing for those words to be returned back to him.

Zack didn't know why he felt this way, why he wanted so desperately to hear Cloud's voice say those three words to him. But he knew that when it happened, it would be because Cloud was ready to say them, and more importantly, because he would mean every one of them. Zack broke out of his thoughts as the helicopter landed. He grabbed his oversized sword and his bag of healing items and stepped out onto the landing platform.

"Call us when you get back here, Zack. It shouldn't take too long. Four days at the most is what they told me," Cissnei said to him. The other redheaded Turk, Reno, was piloting, and he smirked as he watched Cissnei 'flirt' with Zack. Reno was good at his job, which was basically being a spy, and so it was quite obvious to him that Cissnei was interested in Zack, and that Zack had absolutely no interest in her.

"Yeah, it'll be no problem," Zack said, putting his hands on his hips. Cissnei covered her mouth as she quietly giggled.

"Don't get too cocky, Slick. You haven't been on the job for a while," Reno teased.

"All the more energy I have to burn," Zack grinned. He backed up and watched as the helicopter rose into the air and turned in the direction of Midgar once again. Zack adjusted his sword on his back, then headed down into the village of Junon where he could then proceed toward Fort Condor.

The voyage wasn't too difficult, especially since Zack was running high on adrenaline. The small battles he was getting into on the way were more fun than challenging, and he loved the feel of the fresh air and open fields. He'd been cooped up in the Shinra building for so long, and these real fights—just as he'd expected—were exactly what he needed to burn off some steam.

Zack had made it more than halfway to his destination when the sun set that evening. He wouldn't have far to travel in the morning. The journey to Fort Condor took less than a day and a half, so he would spend about three days travelling, one day at his destination, and he would be back in Junon by the night of the fourth day if everything went as planned.

Zack found a spot that was in between the bases of two mountains, out of plain view. For a one-night campsite, he could have called it almost cozy. He took off his armour and sword, and lay down with his back against the grass, breathing deeply. His least favourite part of long missions was camping out overnight without a tent, but even that didn't bother him too much tonight due to his excitement about just being outside. He made sure his sword was near enough to him that he could grab it in case of emergency, then closed his eyes and fell into a much needed sleep.

Zack was in Fort Condor by noon the next day. He had met with the village leader and had gotten the scoop on what his job was. Monsters had been flying in from above recently—that was pretty much the only way any monster could get in since the main entrance was more or less underground—and Zack was there to dispose of them. Zack thought of the place like a series of tunnels flipped on its side. There were holes with ladders which led to the levels above.

Zack's room was on the first floor, but he needed to climb to the second floor, then descend through another hole to get to it. Despite the minor hassle, Zack was happy to have a real bed to sleep in during his stay. He quickly got his stuff settled away in his room, and was led up to the top level of the fort. Then he headed outside to get to work.

Cloud felt better about training that day. The worst of his pain and exhaustion was over, and he was able to really focus on doing what was required of him. He had performed the obstacles without any major problems, and his mood only improved when he sat down in the cafeteria at lunch because he realized that he was a day and a half closer to having Zack return to him.

Luxiere sat across from Cloud as they ate, and he was well aware that his friend was happier than usual as he gazed around the cafeteria with a smile on his face.

"You did well today," Luxiere said, breaking the silence that was surrounding them. Cloud moved his eyes over to meet Luxiere's.

"Thanks," Cloud answered. He took a bite of his bologna sandwich, and continued to look around him.

"What's up with you? You actually seem kind of cheerful," Luxiere smirked.

"Am I allowed to be?"

"Of course. It's just odd for you. Especially on a day when you're eating a bologna sandwich." Cloud frowned.

Had he really been that unpleasant before he had gotten involved with Zack? He didn't think he had been, but Luxiere could obviously sense a change in his behaviour. Perhaps Zack had more of an impact on his well-being than he realized. Just the thought of Zack brought a smile back to his face, and he looked up at his friend again.

"I think it's because I'm feeling a lot better since the other day. I was really tired from that mission, but now that I've recovered—"

"You're as happy as a clam," Luxiere said. Then they both laughed, mostly because the saying didn't make a lot of sense to either of them.

They finished their lunches, mostly in silence, then Cloud emptied his tray and faced his friend.

"I need to run into town for a bit this afternoon since we're off," he said.

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"

In all honestly, Cloud would have liked for Luxiere to tag along, but since he was picking up a present for Zack, he would rather not have to answer the questions that would go along with that. He'd only told his friend where he was going so he wouldn't worry about him.

"That's alright. It won't take me long. I just have to grab something quick," Cloud answered.

The other infantryman could tell his friend was being a bit evasive, like he didn't want to tell him what his outing entailed. The thought briefly crossed his mind that Cloud might be going out to buy protection, but he quickly rid his brain of the idea. That was Cloud's business, not his.

"You take care then, kid," Luxiere smiled from under his helmet.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." With that, Cloud headed out towards his destination.

It took Zack a day longer than he'd originally expected to finish his job in Fort Condor. He'd fought off an unimaginable number of flying enemies—mostly Ark Dragons—in the two days he was there, and they wouldn't stop coming in. They weren't difficult to defeat, there just seemed to be no end to them. That's when he figured out he needed some kind of warning sign for incoming fliers.

Zack prepared himself, his sword at the ready, and killed one last Ark Dragon. Then, despite the vulgarity of it, he stuck it on a stake right in front of the Mako Reactor, and piled the other corpses around it. He knew from experience that this kind of creature stayed away from the smell of death. Zack called for a hand, and some of the residents ran out and set fire to the corpses, sending the fumes of the dragons' demise out into the atmosphere as a deterrent to all approaching enemies. Problem solved.

Zack made it back to his campsite between the mountains by the night of the fourth day. He was disappointed to be running behind schedule. That only meant more time away from Cloud, and he figured the blond would be worrying about him by now. He dropped his sword, his bag of items, and his pouch of gil that he had collected after completing his mission, and lay down on the ground beside them. He decided to look on the bright side. By this time the next night, he would be home, hopefully sharing a beautiful moment with Cloud.

It was early the next morning when Zack awoke, certain that he'd heard something that had brought him into an alert state. He slowly, carefully reached for his sword, being sure not to make any noise, then he got up quickly, glancing around for an attacker. He saw nothing, and took a few steps forward, and what looked like an infantryman peeked out from behind the mountain to his left. Zack readied his sword just in case, and two other infantrymen followed the other until they were in Zack's line of vision. Then they began firing.

It only took Zack a second to react, and he began deflecting the bullets with his sword. He didn't bother at that moment to wonder why they were attacking; all he was worried about was defending himself. He managed to deflect most of the bullets, getting his arm grazed only twice, and then it seemed as if the attackers had run out of bullets.

Two of the men retreated behind the mountain, and Zack charged at the remaining one who had started replacing his ammunition. He had nearly reached him when he realized the man had been faster than he'd anticipated; he had his gun reloaded and was prepared to fire. There was no time for Zack to get his sword up to protect himself, and he gasped in anguish as a bullet entered the left side of his chest. Zack tried to catch his breath, but the pain was stifling.

He attempted to lift his sword, but his left arm felt heavy. He could already tell that he hadn't been hit by an ordinary bullet; he had been poisoned. He could feel it pulsing through his chest and arm, stinging as it travelled. His sword fell to the ground as he clutched the spot where the bullet had penetrated with his good arm. Zack's face was twisted in discomfort, and he realized as he looked up that the cadet was aiming to shoot again. Zack had a moment of panic, not knowing how he could possibly dodge the next attack. His weapon was on the ground, he was defenseless. He winced as another bullet entered his body, just to the right of the first one, and he failed to hold back a cry.

Zack knew then that he had only one choice if he wanted to survive; he had to fake his death. He immediately dropped to his knees and fell over onto his side, his hands grasping his chest. He let out a few whimpers, but tried to suppress them as best he could. Then he closed his eyes and waited.

It took several seconds, but he eventually heard movement-the sound of the men retreating. When he felt it was safe, he opened his eyes and glanced down at his bleeding chest. The poison was spreading fast, faster than he had ever experienced before. Both of his arms were now numb with pain, and his chest was throbbing.

He didn't want to know the reason why Shinra cadets were attacking him. It was too much for him to even think about at the moment. He could feel his mind shutting down, though he tried desperately to keep himself from falling into darkness. He could only muster one last thought. Cloud, honey, I love you. I'm sorry... I couldn't make it home.

"Zack was supposed to make it back last night," Kunsel said to one of the other guys in the cafeteria line that morning. Cloud's ears were finely tuned to the name 'Zack' and he leaned forward to try to listen to the conversation going on a few people away from him.

"I heard that. You think he's okay?" a 3rd asked.

"Zack? Yeah, sure. He's no rookie. He's probably just running late," Kunsel answered, sounding quite sure of himself.

Cloud was disappointed. He had been planning to go see Zack after he had breakfast, but now he had a knot in his stomach to hear that Zack wasn't there. As of right now, Zack wasn't even a full day late, and so Cloud shouldn't have been concerned, but he was. He couldn't even bring himself to think of Zack getting hurt. There were too many what-ifs to even begin worrying about. He felt a hand on his shoulder a second later, and looked back to see Luxiere.

"He's gonna be okay," his friend reassured him. Cloud forced a smile and nodded, feeling the slightest bit better because he knew he wasn't alone. Still, the building seemed empty without Zack, and Cloud wouldn't be able to shake this feeling until he was safe in his arms again.

When Zack came to, he was in unfamiliar surroundings. He was lying in a bed. Coral-coloured rock was all around him. It took him a minute to realize he was in a cave. Zack raised his head up, and pain shot through his chest, though it seemed to have dulled. An old man was hunched over on the floor, mulling over something glowing, something that Zack assumed was materia.

"Did you... save me?" Zack asked, finding that talking was somewhat difficult due to his discomfort. The man turned around, and nodded.

"Yes, I did. Hold still," he ordered, and picked up a green materia off the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed the cure materia on Zack's wounds, holding it there. It felt cold, and sort of refreshing. When the man finished healing him, Zack tried to move again, and realized his wounds were much less sore. The poison, however, was still affecting him; he could feel that it had spread further now.

"What happened?" the man asked, as he dabbed at Zack's bloodied uniform with a cloth.

"They... they were dressed like... Shinra troops," Zack told him. "They attacked me."

"But you're with Shinra?"

"Yeah." The man mused over that for a moment, then gave a hum.

"I removed these," the man said, holding out two fine bullets in his gloved hand.

"You got them out?" Zack asked.

"Yes. Good thing I tended to you when I did. More toxin would have been released otherwise."

"Thanks for... your help," Zack breathed. He realized now what a miracle his being alive truly was. If much more of that poison had entered him, he might not have been so lucky.

"You should have a professional take a look at you," the man said after he had finished cleaning Zack's wounds and dressing them.

"If I can get back." Zack stared up at the rock above him, feeling defeated. Just the thought of walking back to Junon felt like an impossibility. He was too weak, too uncomfortable.

"You will. Rest a day or two, but no longer. It's dangerous to let the poison spread for too long." Zack nodded, then realized that the man was obviously done talking, as he had already started out of the cave. He turned around abruptly when he heard Zack try to move.

"Rest," was all he said before departing through the mouth of the cave.

Zack managed to sit himself up and saw that his sword and all his belongings that he'd had with him were safely stored along the back wall of the cave. Relief washed over him when he saw that Angeal's precious sword was safe, and he lay himself gently back down. Now all he wanted was sleep, but he wished desperately that he was home in his own bed with Cloud cuddled up at his side.

Zack spent two nights in the cave, receiving care from the old man. Because of his enhanced SOLDIER abilities, the bullet wounds themselves had begun to heal well, but the poison was still an issue. He regretted having stayed two nights because now the poison felt like it had infected his entire body. His legs were heavy and stinging with the toxin now, and he knew it would take him a long time to drag his body back to Junon. He had tried to get in touch with someone at Shinra, but there was no reception on his phone in his current location. Just his luck. He felt horribly guilty now for being gone so long. Cloud was probably worried sick by now, and what he wanted more than anything now was to comfort him and let him know he was alright.

It was morning, the seventh day since he had left Shinra. Zack had risen early, getting his bandaged body up out of bed to prepare for the long trek ahead of him. Fortunately, the cave was closer to Junon than his campsite had been, which would cut down on the time and distance he would have to travel. Zack slung his sword over his back—which took more effort than usual—and stuffed his gil pouch and item bag into his pockets. He turned around when he heard the old man clear his throat.

"Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I will be," Zack answered, even though he was somewhat unsure. He paused for a minute when there was silence, then opened his mouth again.

"Is it safe for me to go back to Shinra?" Zack asked. The man waited a moment before speaking.

"Sometimes we have to do things that scare us because it is the right thing to do. You have to warn them, tell them what you have seen. Besides, you have someone to get back to, do you not?" Zack nodded absently, then blinked in surprise when he realized what the man had said.

"How did you—?" It then occurred to Zack that he had probably mumbled something in his sleep.

"I'm sure Cloud will be glad to see you," the man said, a pleasant gleam in his eye.

"Yeah," Zack said, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Thanks again for everything."

"Good luck," the man answered, giving Zack a nod. Then Zack was off, hoping for a safe journey back to Junon.

Cloud and Luxiere were on their way back to their room after supper when they once again caught a snippet of a conversation pertaining to Zack. A few 3rd class SOLDIERs were headed for the elevator when Cloud heard Zack's name, and although the elevator was travelling up when the infantrymen were supposed to be heading down, Cloud boarded the elevator after them with Luxiere quickly following behind. Cloud leaned his back casually against the wall of the elevator, listening, but not making eye contact with the SOLDIERs.

"Yeah, due back three days ago, he was," one of them said.

"Such a shame. First Genesis and Angeal. Now Zack," another added.

"Don't they usually wait longer to announce when someone is K.I.A?" the tallest of them asked. Cloud's breath seemed to get stuck in his lungs. K.I.A... Zack, killed in action? Cloud tried to stay silent, to not let a gasp nor a sob escape his mouth until he had heard all they had to say.

"He was only sent on a simple mission to Fort Condor, and he still hasn't gotten back. That can't mean anything good. Besides, Shinra's been tryin' to contact him on his phone, but they haven't gotten through," the first one said.

"Ah, my heart sank when I saw the e-mail. Another SOLDIER dead. Is anyone safe anymore?"

"It happens to the best of us."

The elevator rang when it reached the 3rd class floor, and the three men got off, leaving Cloud and Luxiere alone. Luxiere said nothing—he was afraid to—and simply stared at his friend worriedly, waiting to see what he would do. Luxiere hit the button for their floor, and waited. The elevator hadn't even fully descended when Cloud covered his mouth with his hand and whimpered. Luxiere felt helpless as he watched his friend continued to bury his face in his hands and sob. As soon as the elevator reached the infantrymen's floor, Cloud fled from the elevator and down the hall towards their room. He fumbled with the key through his tear-blurred vision, and Luxiere had to come and unlock the door for him.

Cloud threw himself onto his bed as his friend quietly closed the door behind him. The blond gave a long muffled cry from within the blankets. Luxiere stood with his back against the door, unable to move. His whole body felt cold. Seeing his friend in so much pain made his heart ache. After a few minutes of relentless sobbing, Cloud brought his head up from his bed and stared back at Luxiere through puffy, red eyes.

"I lied... I lied... I did love him. I loved him!" Cloud let out a shaky cry, letting his head fall down onto the bed again, shaking uncontrollably as his body wracked with sobs. Luxiere forced himself to move across the room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and began patting Cloud's back, comforting him in the only way he knew how.

"I know..." Luxiere whispered. "I know."

A/N: I am so excited about putting this chapter up! I just want to upload the whole thing now. haha. So, yeah, the plot is picking up now. So cool! By the way, Fort Condor is another one of those FFVII locations that I threw in there. And the old man's cave is actually on the FFVII map. I think I went in there once when I played it. Anyway, yeah, the old man is a hero. haha. I also find it funny that Luxiere is thinking about what Cloud is buying. hahaha... Pervert.

Can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter! And I can't wait to keep uploading!