CHAPTER 11

Cloud pushed the bedroom door shut behind him, having just escaped from Tifa's begs and pleads for him to go for a drive with her. His heart pounded as he drew a shaky hand across his tired face.

His mind was in turmoil.

It had been a particularly rough day for Cloud. Whispers of voices had flickered at the back of his mind as he made his deliveries, tempting him to be distracted. Brief flashes of old friends, long dead were glimpsed out of the corner of his eye. Whenever he turned to investigate further, they were gone.

Cloud was feeling more and more unstable. The overwhelming desire to collapse in raving laughing fits came more and more frequently. Odd thoughts began plaguing his conscious. What would it be like to fall off his bike at high speed? He'd never done it before. He wondered how many bones in his body would break, depending on the angle of his landing...

His state of sanity was rapidly deteriorating to nothing. Cloud's fingers twitched regularly. He did not even notice. His eyes had taken on a crazed look as they darted frantically around as though searching for the source of his growing paranoia.

He would not last much longer.

Stumbling towards his bed, Cloud glanced over at the nearby mirror. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked to stand before the mirror.

Cloud stared, tilting his head to the side as his feverish eyes stared at the reflective glass. Was that really what he looked like? So stressed, harried and deranged. Cloud felt the manic laughter pressing up the back of his throat once more, but he fought it down. He hated that laughter.

The image in the mirror slowly began to change its shape, mutating slightly. Cloud grew confused. His hair was not that colour, he was sure. His clothes... they did not look like that! What was happening to his reflection?

Horror filled him as the transformation was complete.

"No, not you again! Leave me alone! Why do you do this?" he shouted at the mirror. The figure in the glass sneered, giving a silent jeering laugh. Cloud's heart thundered wildly against his rib cage, accelerated as though he were high on some deadly drug.

His mind was so fragile, like cracked glass. One false move and it would shatter.

"Cloud, help me."

The blond man spun around, staring about his room in near-panic. There! The young woman was stumbling towards him. Her body was bent over and weak. Her clothes were torn, her hair disshevelled and tearstains cut channels through the dirt and blood on her face. Overwhelmed by the helplessness of her state, Cloud rushed forward to grasp and support her body.

"Aerith! Wh-what happened?"

She sobbed, her tears running afresh as she clung to Cloud in an unspoken desperation. Cloud ran his eyes over her, frantically searching for the source of the blood. Was she wounded?

"Z-Zack hurt me. He finally found me, Cloud. H-he wants to kill me! I don't understand what's happening! Please Cloud, help me! Don't let him hurt me again!" she cried in a panic.

There was a small cut close to her hairline. The wound had closed over but had left blood smeared over her face, hands and parts of her torn clothes. Cloud found himself pulling Aerith even closer, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. The girl buried her face against his shoulder and relaxed against his strong body. Yes, Cloud would protect her.

"It's alright, Aerith. He can't get you here. I won't let him."

Sniffing, Aerith lifted her head to stare up at Cloud with big hopeful eyes.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure." he said firmly. Aerith's bottom lip started to tremble.

"Oh, Cloud! Thankyou!"

Cloud walked towards his bed, sitting Aerith and himself down. She seemed too weak to be able to stand for much longer. Cloud stroked her hair as he cradled her body. A sense of ease washed over him. He felt more sane than he had in months.

Perhaps this is what Cloud had needed ever since the beginning. If only he had embraced his hallucinations, instead of rejecting them, perhaps his mind would have been repaired a whole lot faster. Even now, holding this Aerith that he knew was not real, Cloud was convinced that his mind was healing. It had to be.

They lingered there for some time, Cloud simply holding her and Aerith melting against him. She was more soft than he remembered, more fragile. More fragrant, more beautiful and more attractive than ever before. Cloud felt a twinge in his chest but squished it down. Here and now, in this moment, Aerith was real. No matter what logic told him.

Aerith lifted her head, looking up at the strong man who had named himself her protector. Cloud looked down and met her gaze. She smiled and reached up towards him, eyes fluttering towards shut. Cloud's breath hitched as he leant down to meet her.

The room darkened. Foreboding shivers shot up Cloud's spine and he pulled away, even as the faint rumble that barely registered in his hearing grew louder, transforming itself to a hideous, evil cackle.

Aerith whimpered and clutched him tighter. Cloud's breath rasped in his ears yet the voice still laughed in his skull, jeering at him.

"No!"

Cloud! I've found you, Cloud! And now you shall suffer, like no man has ever suffered before!

"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" he shouted at the roof, desperate to make the voice go away. He barely noticed Aerith tugging on his clothes. His eyes searched every corner of the room. Where was his enemy?

I'm right here, Cloud! Haven't you solved the riddle, yet?

Sephiroth was mocking him. Cloud clenched his teeth and stood up, pacing the room in frustration. What could he do to make this nightmare end?

"You have no power over me!" Cloud declared boldly.

A fierce wind roared through the room, buffeting Cloud and causing Aerith to scream. Drawers were ripped open and clothes strewn across the floor. The window rattled in its panes, groaning to be release.

"Cloud, he's coming! He's coming!"

Aerith's frantic voice registered in his mind and he spun around to stare at her, dull understanding on his face.

"Who's coming?"

"Zack!"

Laughter filled the room again, cruel and harsh laughter. Cloud looked down, feeling something under his feet. The taste of bile rose in his throat. No, not again. He did not want to go through this again. It was too much, just too much to handle.

Blood seeped up from the floorboards and quickly filling the room. Aerith shrieked as she saw what was happening. She clung to Cloud even tighter and sobbed constantly. Zack was coming, he was coming! He was going to kill her. She was terrified. It was as though she no longer believed that Cloud could protect her after all.

Run, Cloud. If you can. After all, that's what you're good at doing. Abandoning and betraying your friends.

"Cloud! Stop!"

The blond's head whipped around as fear ran like ice through his veins. Aerith screamed.

Zack Fair stood at the end of the bed, a malicious grin across his face and one hand on the hilt of his wicked sword. His stance told of the predator that he was, patiently hunting his prey until it was cornered and desperate, with nowhere else to turn.

He had them right where he wanted them.

"You touched her." Zack said, taking a menacing step forward, "I thought I told you not to touch her! She belongs to me, not you! She will never belong to you! Now, you will pay the price for spoiling that which is not yours."

The SOLDIER lifted his sword and swung it. Cloud ducked and snatched up a lamp from the desk beside him, throwing it at his attacker. Zack easily knocked it aside. He continued his advance.

"C'mon Cloud, fight me! What are you so afraid of?" Zack taunted.

Cloud's eyes shot around, judging the distance and searching for an opportunity. Pushing Aerith down, Cloud bolted. His hands closed over the hilt of his sword and he brought it up, in time to meet Zack's killing blow.

Sparks shot off from the blades as they screeched in meeting. Cloud pushed hard, shoving Zack backwards before launching himself into the battle. His arms and legs began to tingle with an electric fire. Excitement rushed through every fibre of his body.

This was what he had been missing. The thrill of the fight.

His old skill began to return to him, the longer he fought Zack. Sweat dripped down his face and his feet threatened to slip in the pool of blood that lay on his floor, but he struggled against it. He had to win. He had to defeat this mad-man! He had to do it for Aerith, if for no other reason. Cloud couldn't bear to let her down again.

Zack sneered at Cloud's pathetic attempts to ward him off. His eyes flashed and the room seemd to grow even darker. With the darkness came the nightmares.

Voices penetrated Cloud's mind, distracting him and tormenting him. He could not clearly make out any of the words that they said, yet their words still chilled and terrified him. His fighting slowed, his attacks becoming more wild and erratic. This was unbearable. The voices grew in intensity.

Cloud screamed, dropping his sword and covering his ears with his hands. Zack laughed in despise at the wretched figure before him. Aerith sobbed helplessly in the background, drawing Zack's gaze away from his enemy.

Cloud forced his eyes open as he struggled to push the voices away. They jeered at him and remained in their intensity. Yet Cloud was stronger than this! Even though his hands trembled from the strain of it, Cloud bent down and clutched the sword in his grip again. His chest heaved and his breath was raw on his throat.

With a yell, he lunged at his tormentor. Zack looked back at Cloud, startled and momentarily caught off guard. The blond's sword pierced the SOLDIER's armour, driving him backwards and pinning him to the bed. Cloud stepped back, shock and horror all over his face as he realised what he had done.

No. This was Zack. Zack was his friend!

Wasn't he?

Sephiroth's sadistic laugh filled the room once more and Cloud looked around, staggering backwards as he did so. Panic began to take hold of him.

"Why are you doing this? Why won't you just leave me alone?"

There is no escape, Cloud. You should know this by now.

In a fit of rage, Cloud ran forward. He grasped the despised mirror which always reflected his nightmares and heaved. Groaning, the mirror toppled forward before slamming into the floor with a resounding crash! Shards of glass splintered everywhere, dancing like glitter across the blood before being swallowed and sinking underneath.

There was a groan and Cloud turned around. Zack was standing again. He had pulled Cloud's sword out of his gut and... he was still grinning!

"Yes Cloud." Zack said, "Get angry with me. Try to kill me! Yes! It will only fuel your own demise even further!"

Cloud panicked.

He ran to Aerith and dragged her to the window. Forcing the window open, Cloud pushed the sobbing young woman out before himself, then hurriedly followed after her. They landed on the awning roof that jutted out beneath Cloud's room with a thud. Keeping a firm grip on Aerith, Cloud ran to the edge of the roof and swung off. Aerith was terrified, but she went with him.

They ran.

Tifa opened the door to Cloud's room and she and Zack peered in. Their eyes widened in horror. What had happened up here?

Cloud's mirror lay shattered on the floor. The mattress on the bed had been stabbed, foam and springs poking out of the gash. The weapon itself lay discarded on the floor and the window was open, as though having been used as a hasty get-away.

"What's going on, Zack?" Tifa whispered fearfully. He shook his head.

"I don't know. But he's gone again."

On impulse, Zack turned and ran back down the stairs. Tifa hurriedly followed after him. Zack raced for the door that led to the garage. As his hand closed around the doorknob, the roar of a protesting engine filled his ears before a tyre screeched and the vehicle tore away.

Zack wrenched the door open to reveal what he already knew would be there. Nothing. Cloud's bike was gone.

"What's he doing?" Tifa asked rhetorically, frustration in her strained voice.

The doorbell rang.

"C'mon!" Zack said, bolting for the door. They pulled it open to find Reno and Rude standing on the doorstep, looking confused.

"Why did Cloud just-" Reno began.

"Look after the kids!" Zack ordered, snatching the set of keys out of the red-head's hands.

"Hey- what's goin' on here?"

"Which way did he go?" Zack demanded as he and Tifa ran to Reno's convertible and jumped in.

"East." Rude said, pointing. Zack thanked him by revving the engine and driving away at an alarming pace.

"Hey! Ain'tcha gonna need more muscle?" Reno shouted after them in frustration.

The two Turks stood on the doorstep in stunned silence. The plume of dust left behind by the two vehicles gradually died down. Reno turned to look at his partner in absolute disbelief.

"They stole my car!"

The roar of the huge engine grew louder and louder, vibrating almost violently as Cloud pushed his bike to new extremes. At the last moment he disengaged the clutch and changed up a gear. It was a fluid motion and the noise of the engine returned to an angry growl as the strain on it was greatly eased.

Aerith clung to Cloud, her head buried against his back. She was too terrified to look around. Cloud was acting so recklessly, driving so fast! If anything were to happen, if Cloud lost control, they would both be killed.

A second roar slowly grew louder behind them. Aerith pulled her head up for one moment to glance behind them. She screamed and dug her fingers harder into Cloud's sides, causing him to yelp in pain.

"He's behind us!" she shrieked. Cloud glanced over his shoulder and cursed.

Opening the throttle even further, Cloud let his bike shoot ahead. The echoing snarl of the machine behind them reminded him that Zack was still tailing them perhaps even closing the gap between them. The man was coming for blood. He was relentless.

Hurtling down the road, Cloud suddenly found himself in the ruins of Midgar. Slamming on the breaks, he leant to the side and gritted his teeth in desperation. Aerith cried out in fear. The bike swung crazily around the corner. Cloud revved the engine close to the point of exploding before he changed gears, tearing away from his pursuer.

Zack was not to be so easily defeated. He chased them endlessly, matching Cloud manouvre for manouvre. Tyres screeched in agony, engines screamed in protest. Curses were flung and muscles burned.

They left Midgar and headed out. Cloud knew where he had to go. He had to make it there alive. To the one person who could help him. The only other person who knew and understood his condition.

The psychiatrist.

Perhaps it was a last-ditch attempt to save his sanity and thus, his life, which convinced Cloud to choose this course of action. In any case, it led them out to the open plains, filled with nothing but rocks, cliffs and chasms.

Cloud constantly glanced over his shoulder, gauging how far away the bloodlusting Zack was as he calculated how much more his bike could take. Worry lay over his fractured mind. It was still a fair way to the doctor's house. He was not sure that they would make it in time.

There was nothing he could do but try. Cloud was not going to give up now. Deep down, Cloud knew that there was no hope for himself. He knew that this was the last blow that would be dealt before his mind finally shattered into millions of fragments, sending his life spiralling into oblivion. Yet his survival instinct was surprisingly strong: it was fighting to save him.

The two bikes seemed to fly over the ground, eating up the miles at an alarming pace. Cloud looked behind him and swore freely as he realised that Zack was gaining ground. His brain whirring into overdrive, Cloud saw the plan of action and executed it.

He angled his bike to the left slightly. It was a dangerous thing to do, but he knew that he had no choice. His tyres hit the loose dirt and skidded slightly before regaining their grip. The dirt and dust was churned up under the bike before being spat out and into the face of Cloud's pursuer.

Cloud could hear as Zack cursed him and swore at him as he struggled to keep up. Zack moved his bike to the other side as he fought to recover from the blindness. He narrowly avoided hitting a protruding rock.

Anger pumping through his veins, Zack asked for more from his bike. The engine whined louder, but the bike complied.

Cloud fought against the rising panic as he saw Zack begin to speed up once more. There was nothing else to it. He would have to risk everything. He opened his own throttle even further. The bike shuddered slightly, protesting openly. Yet the ground before them disappeared even faster as the machine did more than it had been designed to do.

How much further?

Familiarity began to register in Cloud's mind. They were drawing much closer to the psychiatrist's house now. The rocks around them began to grow higher and more jagged, towering into ridges which led the way to the most terrifying sight.

The chasm stretched before them, a great gaping hole carved out of the landscape around them. Shivers slid all over Cloud's body, intensifying the pain of Aerith's fingers digging into his sides once more.

This was the most dangerous part of the journey. The chasm was even longer than it was deep and it was incredibly dark, even during the daytime. At night, it was a deathtrap. Rocks constantly fell from the tops of the chasm, littering the floor below with nasty surprises that could overturn a vehicle at any given moment. Not to mention the wicked cliff which fell to the right of the road, immediately after the chasm ended.

It was the most dangerous part of the journey, but it was also the last leg of the journey. Cloud knew that the doctor's house was only a handful of miles after the chasm. They could make it. As long as they survived the chasm.

The two bikes roared into the chasm, filling the whole air with the thunderous growls of their engines as the amazing accoustics of the chasm echoed them back. One could not tell whether the pursuing bike was behind, ahead or beside; the sound was so overwhelming.

The ground beneath their tyres rumbled, small pebbles dancing on the surface from the vicious tremors. Rocks began to break off from the walls of the chasm, sending their jagged and ridged forms hurtling towards the ground below, threatening the lives of the unsuspecting riders.

Cloud gave a yell and swerved as a large rock landed on the ground directly in front of his bike. Aerith cried against his back. He righted the bike and sped up again, while trying to calm his pounding heart.

That had been close. Far too close.

The pinprick of nighttime light at the end of the chasm gradually grew larger. Cloud leaned further forward, as though his straining body was willing his bike to go even faster. They had to reach it. They had to make it. They couldn't lose, not now. Not when they were so close.

Zack's bike roared up far closer than ever before. Cloud glanced over his shoulder and cursed, before trying to coax more speed from his bike. The machine shuddered and refused to go any faster. Panicking slightly, Cloud glanced back once more, only to see that Zack had not advanced any further. The gap between them held as they streaked through the deadly chasm.

More rocks fell at an ever-increasing pace. The bikes danced their way through the chasm, headlights casting eerie shadows over everything and the erratic rocks falling like mortar bombs. Zack had the advantage, Cloud reflected bitterly. He could watch how Cloud swerved and reacted to the dangers ahead. This would give Zack more time to react himself, while dealing with the current dangers around himself.

Everything seemed to be working against Cloud.

Cloud could see the end of the chasm. It was larger, larger. Almost there. They were so close! Just a little farther...

A huge rock fell before them. Cloud went to swerve when the bike behind him impacted his own machine. His bike was propelled forward, onto the rock that blocked the path. He could only watch as the two connected.

The impact slammed through him, jarring every bone in his body. The air whistled around them and Cloud realised they were flipping, the bike spinning and twisting crazily. Aerith screamed. Cloud shouted, trying to reach for her to protect her. The ground was rushing up to greet them at an alarming pace. He had to stop it!

Crunch.

Metal screamed and twisted as furrows were torn in the hard-packed ground. Pain, so intense and unlike anything Cloud had ever experienced before, exploded through his entire being and piercing his soul.

Bodies crashed and rolled with the wreckage for ten-folds of metres before being flung away to crash and roll on their own. Bones shattered. Muscles tore. Tendons severed. Skin ripped. Blood ebbed away, stealing life with it.

The broken and tumbling forms finally came to a halt.

The overbearing roar of the last remaining engine died away to echo numbly through the chasm for mere moments. Silence reigned, defeaning all who would listen.

Footsteps crunched across dirt and rubble, slowly coming closer and closer to his defeated prey.

Cloud could barely see. Blood flowed into his eyes and he tried to dash it away as he searched for Aerith. Where was she? They had been flung apart and he desperately hoped she was still alive. But perhaps that was asking for too much.

There!

Ignoring the overwhelming pain which begged him to pass out as he moved, Cloud dragged his broken and bleeding body towards the limp body. Hours seemed to pass before he reached her. His bloodied hands reached out shakily.

He grasped her and pulled her up to him. Her head flopped lifelessly back and Cloud's chest heaved. No. Not this. Aerith was drenched in blood, all of it her own. Her limbs were twisted and deformed. Cloud felt sick as he saw the numerous broken bones piercing out through her once-porcelain skin. There was no way she could survive this.

"Aerith. Aerith! Answer me!" he cried and shook her. No tears came to his eyes. He had forgotten how to spill them.

Slowly, two eyes fluttered open. Cloud gasped in disbelief. She was alive? Aerith stared numbly up at him for a while, not seeming to recognise him. Then his face registered and a pained smile spread part-way across her torn face.

"C-Cloud." she whispered.

"Aerith. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I failed you. I couldn't save you. I tried but-" He broke off and dipped his head as emotions overwhelmed him, forcing his throat to close. "I'm so sorry. I just couldn't do it."

"Cloud." Her voice was weak, breaking.

"I...I-I killed you." he stuttered.

"No!" There was a wheeze and slight gurgle in her voice as she spoke. She was drowning. "No, Cloud. You... saved me. You... finally... saved me. Thank... you."

A line of dark red blood spilt out from her mouth. Cloud wanted to wipe it away, but couldn't find the strength. His whole body trembled. This could not be happening.

Aerith's shallow gasps grew more and more frantic, more laboured. She struggled weakly, broken arms trying to reach up to him, to hold him one last time. She couldn't do it. Her whole body shuddered with one final breath. Her eyes lost their focus and glazed over. She stopped moving.

Cloud remembered how to cry.

Huge convulsions gripped the broken man's body. He collapsed over the limp form in his arms and sobbed shamelessly. The tears burned his eyes but he did not care. It was a welcome distraction to the searing knife that twisted in his heart and in his soul.

Aerith was gone. Again. Cloud had been unable to save her. Again. He was a failure. Again.

Cloud was unaware of the man staring down at him, of the disgusting sneer across the man's features. His whole world had collapsed around him for the upteenth time and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He deserved to die. So disturbing was his betrayal of those who trusted him. He could not bear to live with himself any longer.

"Oh, isn't this pathetic!" Zack spat, "You come all this way, go to such lengths to save her. And in the end, you kill her!" Cloud could not lift his head. Zack's words were true. "You are not worthy of your so-called 'hero' status in this world. Murderer."

Trembling, Cloud raised his head and stared into the accusing eyes of his hallucination.

"Kill me." he begged, "Please. Kill me. I can't bear to live anymore."

An expression of victory swarmed over Zack's face. He had finally won. Chuckling at the miserable sight before him, Zack slung his sword on his back and stepped away.

"Kill yourself. I will not gratify you by ending your life. For once, take responsibility for yourself."

Cloud crumpled into tears once more. He could feel the fracture lines in his mind, spreading further. It would not be long now. Soon, his mind would shatter. And he would be gone.

He looked down to gaze at the woman in his arms. She was gone. Panic filled his chest and Cloud looked up. Zack, too, was gone, along with his motorcycle. Cloud gazed around. There was no-one but him, lying broken and bloodied at the end of the chasm.

Everything had been a hallucination.

Whispers filled his mind. Somewhat comforting whispers.

Do it. End it now. You can be free from all this pain and suffering. You just have to take the step. Do it. End it now.

Cloud found himself moving, crawling on his hands and knees. His right leg was mostly useless but that did not stop him. An acute pain in his side registered and he glanced down to see a rib protruding from his flesh. He did not stop. Blood dripped onto the ground from his forehead. He ignored it.

The edge of the cliff that lay right after the chasm drew closer and closer. Cloud's breathing was laboured and wheezy but he forced himself on. For once in his life, he would get something right. He would end it all. He would finally succeed in something.

He dropped his head again, not having the strength to hold it up. His hair fell forward and into his vision. Cloud frowned as it dragged on the ground. His hair was not that long. He paused and lifted his right hand to grasp the hair so he could examine it more closely.

Silver.

Cloud gasped as he stared at his right arm. It was clad in tight leather. He looked down at his body. The outfit was not his own. Silver pauldrons sat upon his shoulders and two leather straps crossed over his chest. Cloud's rasping breath grew louder in his ears as he began to hyperventilate.

"What's happening to me?" he asked softly before clapping a hand over his mouth. Even his voice did not belong to him!

It was in that instant that Cloud felt all the fracture lines in his mind connect, before shattering in an irrepairable moment. He truly had lost his mind. It was gone. Forever. There was nothing left but to destroy this sorry excuse for an existence of his.

Cloud dragged his body to the cliff edge. His fingers curled over the brink and he peered down at the sheer rock wall, to the ground below which was littered with sharp, deadly, unforgiving boulders. Relief washed over him.

Drawing the last of his strength, Cloud grasped the rock wall of the chasm beside him, digging his fingers in and fighting to drag himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest and his vision blurred as black dots overtook him. Yet he persevered, fighting with his final breaths to complete this last task assigned to him.

He stood on the edge of his existence, swaying weakly as the night breeze buffeted against him. He stared out over the open air, feeling so calm and so at ease. The voices in his head were comforting him, encouraging him. This was the only way.

Cloud extended his useless right leg. His hand left the rock wall that he had been clinging to. He closed his eyes and stepped forward, feeling the world disappear from around him.

"NO!"

Arms wrapped around his waist, tightening before yanking back. Cloud felt the rush and the horror as he was dragged back to the world that he so utterly despised. He fell back on the ground, landing on top of another body. Frustration came over him. He had failed his final task.

Cloud screamed, his body arching back and his mouth frothing as though he were possessed. Zack scrambled out from underneath his friend and stared down at him, unable to express the shock and horror that resonated through his body at this sight.

It had finally happened. Cloud truly had lost his mind.

Zack grasped the flailing arms and pushed them down, trying to restrain his sick friend. Curses were flung out through the screams and Cloud struggled even harder. Zack did not know what to do. If he fought against Cloud too much, his friend's wounds would become much worse. But if he did nothing, Cloud would seize to death.

Tifa stood a few paces behind them, her hands pressed over her mouth as tears streamed silently down her face. She could not believe that it had come to this. After hearing what Dr Wright had said, she had known Cloud's condition was severe. She just had not understood what that meant until now.

"Cloud, stop it! Stop it! Please!" Zack yelled at his friend, emotion choking his voice as tears threatened to blind his vision. The blond man either ignored Zack or did not hear him. He continued to thrash and scream.

Zack drew a hand back, closed it into a fist then let it fly. Guilt assailed him as he heard the crack of his fist on Cloud's skull. Yet it did the trick. Cloud's eyes rolled back and he fell into unconsciousness.

Breath heavy with emotion, Zack sat back and just stared at the remains of his best friend. Tifa came to his side and wrapped her arms around him. Zack fought back a sob as he leant against her. They drew strength from each other as they slowly digested the situation before them.

Tifa was the first to move forward, much to Zack's surprise.

"We need to put pressure on these wounds, stop the bleeding." she said, choosing Cloud's protruding rib as the most urgent wound. "Give me your shirt."

Complying, Zack pulled his shirt off and handed it to Tifa. She tore it into strips, before rolling several strips together in a donut shape and carefully placing this over the bone. Taking the other strips, she wrapped them around Cloud's body as tightly as she dared.

Zack began to copy her, assessing the wounds and choosing the next most pressing one to deal with. He went to Reno's car and searched through it frantically. He found a few changes of clothes which he brought to Tifa for destruction. They worked quickly and silently to save the fragile life of their friend.

After leaving Seventh Heaven, Zack had driven crazily through Edge, then through Midgar. Tifa had simply clung on and endured his maddened driving. She didn't have to ask how Zack knew where he was going; they could both still see the clouds of dust from where the powerful motorcycle had gone tearing along.

Despite Reno's car being a flashy sportscar, it had not been able to keep up with Cloud's modified bike. Nor had it been able to handle the tight corners quite like the motorcycle. All in all, they had made good time, considering their transportation.

Zack was intensely glad that they had not chased after Cloud in Tifa's van.

They had driven somewhat slower through the deadly chasm, their eyes wide and staring about for any sight of Cloud. They had come upon the crash scene rather suddenly and neither Zack nor Tifa had been able to speak as they stared about in despair. Cloud's bike was mangled beyond repair, let alone recognition. They had both been convinced they were looking for a body, when Zack caught sight of Cloud.

He had started forward, but froze in disbelief as Cloud's body shuddered into the form of Sephiroth's. Cloud had kept moving, not seeming to notice it. Sephiroth's form gave way and Cloud was there once more. This disturbing image had continued, right up to the point where Cloud extended his leg to end his life.

Zack had not been able to stop himself. Cloud or Sephiroth, he didn't care. That person had been his best friend, once upon a time. He would be damned if he would let Cloud kill himself.

Tifa sat back, wiping sweat off her brow with the back of her wrist. Her hands were drenched in blood. She looked over at where Zack was tying the last knot in a makeshift bandage. All the wounds had been addressed. At least, all the external ones.

"Done?" Tifa asked weakly. Zack nodded.

"Yeah. Done." They fell silent.

"Now what?" she finally asked. Zack shrugged.

"Get him into the back of the car, I guess."

"How're we gonna do that?"

"I dunno. Carefully."

Tifa drove the convertible over as close to Cloud as she could, while Zack waited by his friend's side in case the insane man woke up. The two of them worked quickly but very carefully. After a lot of awkward manouvres, they managed to lie Cloud on the back seat of the car.

Getting back in the car themselves, they adjusted the seats to slide back on the runners as far as they would go. The seats pressed up against the seat Cloud was lying on. Hopefully that would keep him more stable as they drove.

"What're we gonna do if he wakes up?" Tifa asked.

"Pull over and I'll knock him out again." Zack said as he started the engine. Tifa gave no response as she glanced back at the blond man. She bit her bottom lip as tears welled up in her eyes once more.

"I love you, Cloud." she whispered softly.

Zack drove back through the chasm, back through Midgar and into Edge. They would have to stop at the bar first to get Reno and Rude. That meant the kids would have to come, too. Zack did not know where Rufus Shinra was currently hiding out. He moved around a fair bit, not wanting to be discovered.

The car stopped outside the bar and Tifa jumped out, running inside. Reno and Rude emerged minutes later.

"What happened?" Rude asked.

"He- uh... I dunno. Crashed his bike, tried to commit suicide. We need to get him to Rufus right now! He's lost a lot of blood and is losing more as we speak. C'mon. One of you get in with me, the other go with Tifa in the van. Move, now!"

Reno quickly jumped into the convertible and Rude went back in to find Tifa. As Zack sped away from the bar, following Reno's directions, the red-head glanced back at Cloud and shook his head in disbelief.

"Why'd he try to kill himself for, yo?"

"Because he's lost his mind." Zack said coldly. Reno glanced over at the black-haired SOLDIER and wisely said nothing more.