Disclaimer

I do not own FF7, Square does. I'm also known to be a yaoi writer, so maybe you'll find some in this one. Since you have been warned, I do not feel responsible for anything harsh that might occur after you read this… Oh! And you can complain to me if there's mistakes ( I try my best to improve, but it's difficult… sigh). Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!

Htress

htress@jenovaproject.com

Friends

Zack was dozing off between some supply crates in the back of the truck. Or at least he tried. Bumps and holes were covering the road, sending the truck's occupants flying inside. The troopers weren't helping, they were joking and laughing loud enough to cover the wreck of the crates and the engine's. They were laughing at Cloud, whose face was already dead pale, even if he had taken his motion sickness medicine. Zack stood up and gave them a glare that could have frightened the General himself.

"Could you guys just shut the hell up? I can't hear myself think, damn it!"

After few more murmurs and another glare, the troopers went silent and Zack moved back to his dozing spot, determined to get a little sleep. The two previous nights had been restless, monsters showing up every time, and being the only first class of this mission, he had to do most of the job by himself. And just to make things worst, it was raining since. He leaned against a wall of crates, trying to ignore his throbbing headache, when a presence nearby forced him to open his eyes once more. Cloud was standing in front of him.

"Sir, can I talk to you in private?"

Zack nodded and his friend sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" The blond asked, "The guys back there are saying that you're looking like me…" "I'm… just tired, Cloud… and don't believe what come out of those silly guys… they're jerks!" He joked, trying to look like his usual self. "Quit it, Zack! From what I see now, you do look like someone who could use some sleep, but you also look like you don't feel well… Here, take this, maybe you'll be better…"

Zack caught the motion sickness pills Cloud threw at him before leaving. That boy had a sharp mind, and wasn't his student, best friend and lover for nothing. He took two pills from the small bottle and leaned back to try to get some sleep before reaching Midgar.

******

When they finally arrived, the weather was still stuck at rainy. Cloud and Zack stepped in the elevator to get back to their quarters. Being monitored by the second-in-hand of the General had its advantages, and Cloud shared an apartment in the Shin-Ra building instead of a square room in the barracks.

Cloud had been right about Zack. The SOLDIER didn't feel well at all, and slumped down on the couch. He just heard Cloud saying his name before everything turned black, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

******

"Hurry up!"

Zack could feel he was carried by at least two people. The walls were moving fast before his eyes, only adding at his confusion. His head hurt, his chest was burning and he realised he was having trouble to breath. Zack's vision blurred as he suddenly choked, squealing.

"Zack!"

His body tensed, his senses considerably numbed, unaware of the mouth that was covering his. He coughed, spiting out a crimson liquid that turned out to be blood. He squirmed violently as he was gripping with a coughing fit. Two strong arms pinned him down while two other were yanking away his t-shirt. Zack tossed again, groaning in pain as the burning sensation inside of him became unbearable.

"Forget the sickbay, Cloud! His lungs are filling with blood, go call an ambulance! Zack, Zack, you hear me?"

He choked again. Gloved hand pinched his nose and the next few forced intakes of breath just made him want to scream in agony. Then he recognized the voice that was speaking to him.

"Come on, Zack! I know you can do it… Breath… Come on!"

He couldn't, everything was whirling around him, it burned inside. Zack let the blackness took over him once more. Sephiroth shook him violently to wake him up, with no avail. Even slapping him wasn't doing any good. Some people were standing aside, watching this unusual scene. Seeing the crowd, Rufus Shin-Ra and his black-haired bodyguard came out of the VP's office to see what was going on. Sephiroth caught a glimpse of the man, and quickly called him.

"Tseng! Zack can't breath, his lungs are filing… what should I do?"

For a rare time, Tseng's face, usually inexpressive, turned pale and he quickly answered the question.

"Call immediately an ambulance!" He said, tapping furiously at his earplug emitter. "Already done…" "I'll come back… Look after the Vice-President for a while!" He added before disappearing into a nearby office

He came back several minutes later with some sofa cushions he placed under Zack, lifting him a little to ease his breathing. Rufus calmly watched as the General forced oxygen into Zack. The man coughed weakly, Sephiroth pinned him down and asked Tseng to listen to his heart. At the same time, Rude, Elena and Reno dispersed the crowd, clearing the way for Cloud and the medics. They quickly strapped Zack on the stretcher and left for the hospital, continuing the CPR manoeuvres.

"Well, General, I'm waiting for explanations…", the Vice President asked in a curious tone. "Sir, this man is my second, and I was waiting for him to attend to this morning meeting. He was late, so I went to check what was going on and I found his student trying to drag him to the sickbay. But we couldn't make it as he stopped breathing. I send the boy to call an ambulance instead." "Why so much for a simple SOLDIER?" "With all due respect, sir", Tseng interrupted, "SOLDIER Zackery Hoeken is the strongest man in Shin-Ra army after Sephiroth. We can't afford to loose him. May I suggest sending Hojo to the hospital to ensure him having the best treatment he could get?"

Rufus nodded and left. Sephiroth ordered Cloud in his office after the meeting to settle with his new monitoring SOLDIER. The incident was closed, at least in appearance.

******

Cloud was waiting outside the door, nervously twitching on his chair. The massive door opened, letting out the Shin-Ra executives, Rufus Shin-Ra and Tseng. When Sephiroth stepped out, Cloud followed him closely until they reached the General's office. The boy had his head down as he entered, visibly worrying sick about Zack's condition. Sephiroth trapped him into a soothing embrace, trying to comfort him. It wasn't the first time, though. Zack and Cloud both had been and were still the favourites bed-warmer of the General.

"Shhh… I know it was hard to see…", he said, tracing the dark lines under Cloud's eyes, "don't think of it anymore. Here, rest for a while. As soon as I finish this paperwork, we're out for the hospital."

Cloud nodded feebly as he was pulled toward the small couch. He hadn't sleep at all the night before, trying to take care of Zack who'd been struck by fever when he had waken from it's afternoon nap on the couch. His state had worsened by the morning and he had tried to take him to the sickbay… when Sephiroth had arrived and helped him.

The blond boy slowly lay down and took off his boots. He could hear the scribbling sound of a pen battling against a sheet of paper and somehow the fact that he wasn't alone allowed him to drift into oblivion.

******

God only knows how much he hated hospital. But he couldn't do anything, just to lie limp in a damn fade blue jacket, connected to some weird machines, tubes coming out of his nose and mouth… Some people were around him, seeming to literally freak out executing some sort of dance around his bed. All faces and forms became a turmoil as the medicine took his full force and he returned to a total black-out state.

When he opened his eyes, the pain and the burning feeling had lessen a lot, but still… he couldn't move, couldn't breath without that freaky machine. He was sick. Bedridden. And afraid. A tear rolled own on his cheek, he didn't want to be here, alone in the dark, in pain and weak. A strange sound came out of his throat, thanks to the tube stuck there. God I wanna get out of here…

******

Cloud stirred on his chair, awaken by a barely audible sobbing sound. He looked at Zack, who was staring at the ceiling, brown eyes full of tears. He fought to keep his own back, moving closer and squeezing Zack's hand.

"It's okay, Zack, I'm here…"

He sensed his body stiffen, then relaxed as he spoke, obviously he had recognized him. But Zack continued to cry. Cloud ran his hand into the raven hair, still holding that shaky hand, murmuring softly as his friend drifted away again into a forced sleep. He stayed there, not wanting to let go, lovingly washing the tears away. Footsteps could be hear from outside and Cloud went back on his chair, slightly trembling, trying to fake sleeping.

"I'm not taking any chance, you two are staying and you'll be treated here to ensure you don't contaminate the entire Shin-Ra army, is that clear, General?"

Sephiroth tried to argue, but Hojo shoved him inside the room, flinging him two hospital gowns.

"Put that on, I'll come back for blood samples. And you are not allowed to leave that room until I say you can!"

Cloud's eyes widened when Sephiroth handed him the blue garment. Whatever Zack was fighting against was obviously contagious. The gowns were light and open at the back, Cloud simply refused to part with his underwear.

"My hair isn't as long as yours", he told Sephiroth, "did Hojo said blood sample?" "Yes, why?"

He could already feel his legs becoming weak under him. The simple thought about a needle had always had that effect on him. He couldn't bear needles. His fellow rookies at Shin-Ra laughed at him when he received his first Mako treatment… He'd fainted when he saw the syringe. And he was about to do the same here. Sephiroth helped Cloud to sit, the boy had turned white as a sheet.

"Hey! What's up with you?" "S-Seph… I can't stand needles…"

When Hojo came back with test tubes, capillaries and syringes, Cloud jerked out of his chair, trembling like a leaf. He passed out the time the doctor finished with Sephiroth. The hospital just wasn't his cup of tea.

******

"You passed out…" "You don't look good either…" "Hojo's pricks tends to have that effect on me…" "Stay in your bed." "Only if you do so." "I don't have the mother of headache…" "No but you passed out…"

Cloud rolled his eyes and he sighed heavily, leaning back on his bed. Sephiroth chuckled a little, his right hand on his forehead. He had one hell of a headache, but he was still concerned about Cloud and Zack. Cloud said something about getting some rest and Sephiroth agreed, pulling up the thin blanket over him. His last thoughts went to Zack as sleep claimed him.

When Cloud opened his eyes, Hojo was carefully studying him, pocketing few tubes filled with blood. He groaned, a queasy feeling in his stomach as he sensed a needle being removed from his arm. The doctor wrote few notes down on a clipboard and left for the next bed. Zack was still unconscious and feverish, connected to a respirator and to some drains. He took the clipboard again and noted down few data before moving to Sephiroth.

The General didn't look good. Hojo grabbed his wrist, checking on his pulse, then used his stethoscope to listen to his lungs. He frowned.

"Trooper, how much time did pass between the first symptoms and his current state?" He asked, pointing Zack "Lemme think… about four days." "Just what I thought. Whatever that thing is, it's reacting to high Mako levels. Tell me, you two helped him to breath?" "Yes, sir."

Hojo picked up a bottle filled with a clear liquid and a small syringe (he took care to hide it from Cloud). Sephiroth stirred as the needle pierced his forearm and started to pant lightly. Hojo pushed on the alarm button and a redhead nurse peaked in.

"What do you need, sir?" "Seems that man is ill as well. Install pneumonic drains and I want him to be connected to a cardiac monitor. Check his temperature every half hour. And bring me the blond in the lab in 15 minutes." "Yes, sir."

Glancing at Cloud, Hojo left, a small smile curling his lips.

******

To be summoned in a lab by the professor was never a good news. Especially when he welcome you with a tranquilizer. Cloud lay still in a stretcher, listening to the nasal tone of professor Hojo.

"Well, lucky you… You seem to have developed antibodies against that virus. The bad news, though, is that I need more blood from you in order to produce two vaccine. Just stay still…"

Cloud closed his eyes. Soon after the initial prick, he began to feel extremely weak and everything turned black.

When he woke up, he was in a wheelchair. The walls were spinning, so he groaned, causing whoever was pushing him to stop.

"Mister, you're ok? We're almost there…" "'m dizzy…" "It will pass soon. You'll be able to go home in a few minutes. Someone is waiting for you. Just let me help you up and I'll send him."

He wasn't in the same room as Zack, laying flat on a stretcher when a black-haired man entered. Cloud didn't know him, but he already seen him once or twice in Sephiroth's office. A Turk. The same one that was with Professor Hojo. He frowned.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly "I… Will take you to your quarters."

******

Cloud sat down on the couch. It hasn't be so bad after all. Tseng, the Turk, talked to him a lot and even expressed some worry toward him and his friends. Maybe he knew Sephiroth well, after all. Anyway, Cloud brought his knees to his chin and lay here, not wanting to see the bed so empty… He wasn't allowed anymore to visit Zack or Sephiroth, he was alone. So he just curled on the couch and waited.

Five days passed, five days without news until someone knocked on the door. Cloud hurriedly rushed to open it. It was Tseng. He carried a brown bagand behind him was standing another figure he immediately recognized.

"ZACK!"

His lover stepped forward, catching Cloud in a thigh embrace.

"Well, I'm glad you could return home Zack. I wish I had somebody to wait for me too… Now take care."

Tseng handed him the brown bag and left, closing the door. Cloud's arms were glued at Zack's waist, preventing him from moving away from him. After a while, Zack finally spoke.

"Hey, Cloud, doc said I need rest… How 'bout you helping me to go to bed?" "You're that weak?" Cloud asked, suddenly dislodging himself from Zack, "My poor little thing… Here, let me support you." "It nearly killed me you know, if you haven't been there, I would be six feet under by now." "I wasn't alone, Seph came to help. Speaking of which, how he's doing?"

Zack's smile faded as he pulled Cloud closer to him.

"Cloud…," he began nervously, "Sephiroth… Sephiroth is dying."

End of the first part

Author's note

Oh my god! Don't throw such heavy thing at me like that… Or I won't be able to write the other part… Will our fav bishonen survive? How Cloud and Zack will help? And what the hell is that disease? We will find out in the next chapter… yes, yes, soon.