"Cold, isn't it?" Zack asked his companion, tossing another branch lazily into the fire. He sat with one knee drawn half way to his chest, the second leg crossed under that. His arm rested atop his knee. in front of him flames danced like maidens, swallowing up all that they could.

It amused Zack a little, how much alike the flames were to dancers in Midgar. Or women in general, who were willing to do anything for a spec of coin. Like the flames willing to dance and keep him warm for a little wood to feed their hungry arms. He smiled to himself, shaking his head. Such thoughts led him to misery now. He didn't need that. Not now.

A groan from across the fire drew him completely from his thoughts to focused on the present. A little blond head was nodding and twitching, trying desperately to get something under control.

Zacks heart pulled for the young man. How old was he now? How old was Zack?21. That was it. Cloud was 21 now. How old was he?

A second groan caused Zack to force a cheerful laugh and stand, grabbing the somewhat gritty blanket he had been using as a pack up off from the ground. "I'm going, I'm going. Jeez, Chocobo brains, you're a pushy fellow. 5 years in a test tube really does a lot for you, doesn't it?" He teased, walking over to his friend.

The boy was a mess. Boy? No, now he was a young man. 21, Zack thought as he slumped down onto the ground next to Cloud, pulling the blanket up about their bodys. Cloud was 21.

Zack laughed a little. "Well, a late happy birthday to you Cloud." He said, grinning a bit and watching the fire. "21. Hell, I've missed a few years. Doesn't feel it though. You know, I think that loon in the labs did something to the injections we were getting. I don't feel any older then when we were tossed into that place. Everything is just the same. How I feel, act, my body. Yeah. Had to have had something strange in those fucked chemicals. Whatcha think?"

"Ah-ahh…ouahh…" Was about all the answer Zack ever got from the young man, and that moment was no acceptation. He again got the moaning of the young man. Zack felt tears willing to spill from his eyes at that moment. Was Cloud damaged? Mentally damaged?

"Hah! Yup, knew you would agree!" The black haired man said, ruffling his friends hair and peering out into the night.

It was a forest, thick and dark save for this tiny little clearing. Zack prayed that there was no one nearby. There shouldn't have been. This was the middle of nowhere. Then again, they were fairly close to Costa Del Sol, and thus close to ships and Shinra. Who knew what was waiting for them

Not to mention the monsters. Zack sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against the little blond for support and warmth. He was dead tired, and yet he'd wake up tomorrow and still walk on. He had to. He wasn't going to just give up Clouds life. He wanted the boy to have something. Anything. And he himself was not ready to die.

Not yet, at least, but Zack was sure he was getting there. He wouldn't trust anyone else with Cloud, though. He felt, almost, that no one else could understand.

A selfish thought if ever I had one, Zack said to himself. Stop it flame, you need to be strong here.

"hope they have baths we can access on that ship. It'll be hell getting onto it without Shinra nabbing us, and even more so getting into decent accommodations. But with both need a good bath, and some clean clothing. You, at least. I can wait. I just don't want you stuck with a sweaty, muddy, crude dressed pig the whole way. You know, though, Shinra is kind of dumb. Maybe they wont notice us. Uniforms and everything. I mean, I wasn't that well know in SOLDIER. First class don't make you no ones hero." He laughed. "And you- a guard. Yeah, that's a heroic job if ever there was one. We do all the big work that the press sees- SOLDIER does- so as Shinra can get more recruits and say they have a huge army of these mass killing machines- but the lot of us, we're all pansies. Afraid to get dirt under our nails. You- you and your guard lot- you do the grunt work. You actually work, and patrol city streets and keep things calm and collected. People feel safe and invincible with SOLDIER around, but without the guards nothing would get done. Lucking thing about guards, too, is the helmets. You lost yours, though. Ah, we both always had our hair up anyway."

He laughed again, leaning his head on Clouds shoulder, letting the young man babble and moan and nod his head. He would keep talking. If it didn't help Cloud any, well, it certainly was helping him. "I miss that. I'm gana nick some gel or wax from someone and do it up again. After we get out of Junon. That place is crawling with goonies. Our hair is longer now, you noticed? We need to chop it, but not until we're out of the worst bits. Like the ship. No one will know who we are if we keep our hair long and down. If we can get you a helmet then even better. I look a lot like the Chris kid- another first class SOLDIER. So long as he didn't die, or isn't there, then we'll get by. I will, and so will you. I wont letcha down."

He smiled and sighed to himself, feeling a bit sorrowful down inside. The feeling kept growing, the more he talked. He wouldn't let that show. As far as he knew, and as much as he believed, Cloud was hurting inside too. His mind just was so fucked up that he couldn't tell. If he didn't know, and if Zack gave no hints, then maybe he never would know…

Was…that good? Zack didn't care right now. He and Cloud would sort it out one day. Some day soon.

Why did he feel like that day might never come at all?

"Hah. Look Cloud," Zack said suddenly, green glowing eyes alight with cheer as he nodded his head in the direction of the crystal clear sky. "Looks like Shiva has been dancing again. She left little diamonds from her dress behind. You ever hear that story?" He asked his friend. He got the typical reply. Zack grinned. "You know, I am in a fairly chatty mood tonight, friend of mine, so…" he slowly stood, shedding his blanket and wrapping it tighter around the twitching and moaning young man. Clouds beautiful eyes looked dead under his hair as they tried desperately to focused on Zack, or anything at all.

Zack frowned. On him? No. He had to be imagining it.

He hoped he wasn't.

"So, I'm going to tell you it anyway." He said wit ha grin, tipping his head back to stare at the bright lights high above them. He felt disconnected at that moment. As if he and Cloud were completely alone, and he was the only one awake in this dream world. A star somewhere above twinkled and shot across the sky.

Just like my last hope- burning bright and running away.