Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any of it's spin-offs!

Warning: Adult situations and course language

Authors Note: Uh... sorry it took so long!

"Come with me"

Paranoia, suffocation, pain, impending doom; these were all of the things Zack was feeling at the moment as he hurried down the wet street, dodging drunk men and young host club members as they tried to lure in their next customer. Shoulders hunched and head ducked, Zack was simply a shadow of his former self, no longer the proud Yakuza member he once was as he rushed to his apartment, desperate to get the fuck out of here. No doubt his apartment was being watched by other members desperate to catch him for what he had done last night.

"Watch where you're going, ass!" A young woman yelled at Zack as he accidently nudged her with his shoulder. Jumping slightly, Zack grabbed for his gun before pausing, shock marring his features.

"Sorry." He mumbled, hand dropping back into his pocket as he continued on his way, not glancing back. God he was paranoid, paranoid to the extent that he was willing to tear his gun out of its holster and point blank shoot the girl on the spot.

He really needed to get inside, grab his stuff and leave.

"What do you mean?"

Taking the steps two at a time, Zack hurried up to his apartment and stopped at the door, taking his gun out carefully as he placed a steady hand on the door handle, shoulder resting against the old door as he raised his gun, eyes looking down the hallway before opening the door, pushing his body in with his gun at the ready.

Scoping the main room, Zack kicked his door closed with a dull 'thud' and continued in, shoulders tensed as he moved to look in the bathroom. Pulling back the shower curtain, Zack finally relaxed when he saw no one was hiding behind it.

Placing his gun back in its proper place, Zack went back into his room and dropped to the floor beside the bed to grab a duffle bag that had just recently been put back in its place since the last time it was used in a previous runaway attempt. Tossing it on to the bed, Zack sat up and began shuffling around the room, tossing clothes, extra money, and hygiene products in it, caring little for how it was packed. As long as it fit, that's what counted.

Taking a few steady breaths, Zack stared down at his duffle bag for a few moments before tearing his gaze away and hurrying into the bathroom. Taking a moment to look at himself in the mirror, Zack scrutinized the healing cut on his chin before looking at his entire appearance.

Bags under his eyes, long and lank hair hanging over his usually cheerful features, his skin looked pale- almost sickly, and his eyes… god, they had lost that shine. He looked like a walking dead man.

"Come with me to America."

Zack felt a moment of pity for the man in the mirror before anger rushed forward, seizing him in a tight hold. Bringing his hands up, Zack began taking his earrings out and violently throwing them into the sink, the metal resounding with a small 'plink' in the porcelain basin. He didn't even give the earrings time to settle before he had ripped open the door to the medicine cabinet; grabbing a pair of scissors he slammed the door and began cutting his long, untamed hair.

Long black locks fell to the sink and on the floor as he continued to try and make himself different somehow- a new man for the final act in this play he seemed to get a starring role in. He didn't stop until his hair had come to just below his jaw, a length he hadn't had for a very long time. Looking at himself for a moment, Zack ran his hand slowly through the now shorter locks, feeling a little less tense. It was a small change, but it did wonders to calm Zack down just slightly. That was before he heard his door open.

"Feeling any better?"

Zack whipped around, hand scrambling for his gun as he dropped the scissors, slicing his palm open by accident. Blood dripped to the floor as he looked at Reno, gun pointed at the male.

"Get the fuck out…" Zack breathed out, his entire body tense.

"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do." Reno said, his stance its usual relaxed and arrogant way.

"Why is that?" Zack asked as he pulled back the safety back while blood dripped down the handle of the pistol and onto the floor.

"Because you are so fucked, no matter what you do, Zack…" Reno watched as the red puddle on the floor before locking eyes with the Judas of the 'family'. "So put the gun down, and talk with me for a bit… like old friends?"

"Cloud… you know I can't."

Zack didn't like the way Reno was acting, but lowered his weapon a fraction; in part due to the fact his hand was going numb from blood loss, and in part because he was curious about what Reno was going to say. "Yeah, talk about what?"

"Nothin' in particular… just talk about our lives… our futures. Like old times." He smiled and shrugged; a boyish gesture for such a tense situation.

"I'm not interested in talking." Zack said, despite the tight feeling in his chest telling him that this could be the last time he'd ever get to speak with his best friend. Lowering his gun all the way, Zack slid it back into its holster and walked out of the bathroom. Grabbing his duffle bag and swinging it over his shoulder he shoved past Reno and left the apartment, hopping down the steps.

He could hear Reno following him, his steps loud and thunderous to Zack's ears as he made his way down the old staircase. "You really are going to just leave?"

"Yes." Zack called back as he left the main lobby and headed down the street and into an alleyway.

"Hey, Zack, Zack, stop!" Reno called as he continued to follow a few paces behind. "Why you in such a hurry, eh? You're running like you have the Yakuza after you."

Zack rolled his eyes at the comment and continued on his way, desperate to just get away. "I'm meeting someone."

"Cloud?"

Hesitation- that was Zack's first mistake.

His second mistake was letting Reno stay behind him and out of his line of sight.

"Yes you can. Just pack up what you need and leave. Get the fuck out of here and start a new life."

'Click'

The deadly sound of a gun being cocked- a simple 'Click' and it was ready for the press of a finger to lay a bullet strait inside his head. How many times had Zack heard that sound, only to be on the other end?

"Don't… don't do this, Reno." Zack said, voice shaking slightly as he felt hard metal press against the back of his head.

"Why the fuck not?" Reno asked, teeth clenched together as he bit back a snarl. "Explain to me why I shouldn't just blow your brains out."

"Because I don't want you to have to live with the fact that you killed your best friend." Zack said, voice not even wavering.

Searing pain shot through his head as the barrel of Reno's gun connected with the side of his head, sending him forward as stars flashed before his eyes.

"You self righteous fuck!" Reno spat out as Zack grabbed at his head while turning around to look at Reno, pain marring his young features. "You have no fucking right to call yourself my 'best friend' and you have no fucking right-" Reno shot his pistol outwards again, aiming point blank at Zack's face "- to tell me how I'm going to live with myself."

"But… where do you fit in this new life?"

"Reno… just… just-"

"Just what, what exactly are going to say that could make this all better, huh?" He moved forward and took a swing, knocking the raven haired male down with a blow to the jaw. "That this was all just a faze? That you really didn't' mean anything by leaving the Yakuza, fucking your hit, and then destroying our friendship?! Because it seems to me like you meant everything you did- and you deserve to pay for it all."

Zack struggled to stand up, body going weak on him as he shook under the pressure of having his best friend moments away from killing him. "Reno, just listen to me, please?"

"N-no, no you don't get to talk right now. I think I fucking deserve to speak now after keeping silent for so damn long," Reno was visibly shaking with anger, his eyes wide with fright and sorrow. "I mean, I was your best friend. I was the guy who was there with you all the time, the guy who listened to you and who worked alongside you! I would have done anything for you, Zack. Anything! We were supposed to take the world by storm and stay together. And then, then Cloud comes along and suddenly I don't matter. Suddenly, you think there is something better out there for you." He practically whimpered the last part out, his visibly shaking hand running through his messy red hair as his other hand continued to threaten Zack with his pistol.

"No, Reno… no you matter so much to me," Zack said, voice wavering with emotion. "Please, just put the gun down."

"If I mattered to you, you'd still be here with me. You would love me like I love you!" Reno yelled out, voice breaking at the end as tears streamed down his face. "You would love me…"

As he spoke the last part he began to lower his gun, his resolve breaking slightly as he peered at Zack, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Blood was running down the side of his head where he was struck, showing Reno exactly what he had done- and what further damage he could do.

"Reno, finish the job."

"I-I don't know. But just come with me… to New York."

As quickly as his resolve had broken, it had been built back up again as the smooth voice of Vincent carried over to him. Tightening his grip on the weapon, Reno took a few shaky breaths before speaking.

"Get the hell out of here, Vincent."

A small chuckled was heard before Vincent stepped forward to stand beside Reno, the epitome of calm. "You really think I would leave before seeing the fall of Zackary Fair?"

"Just leave, you stupid fuck," Reno growled out as Vincent tensed, eyes narrowing. "I'll get the job done."

"You were lowering your arm a moment ago, finishing the job seemed like it was the farthest from your mind. Now pull the trigger, Reno… shoot him and take him down. Think of how much he's hurt the family- how much he's taken away from you."

"Don't listen to him, Reno!" Zack winced slightly as another stab of pain shot through his head mixing with fear, sending Zack's heart beating a million miles a minute. He watched as Vincent calmly removed his own gun from his side holster and aimed it at him.

"Finish him or I will."

"Reno…" Their eyes locked for a moment, Zack feeling the hurt, humiliation and sorrow in Reno's while Reno saw the terror, pain, and sympathy in Zack's.

But mostly, Reno saw the man he loved.

"No." Reno whispered before there was a flash of movements and Zack had little time to react except to catch Reno as the sound of two shots went off.

"Fuck you, Vincent…" Reno whispered as blood began to dribble out of his mouth, body slumping further into Zack's embrace.

Zack looked down at the pavement where Vincent lay, eyes open and unseeing as the rain began to pelt down, carrying the crimson stream from Vincent's now lifeless body to the pool that was gathering at Zack and Reno's feet.

Zack tore his gaze away to carefully kneel down trying better support Reno as the dying man coughed out more blood.

"Y-you're so stupid." Zack whispered as tears welled up. He brought his free hand up and pressed down on the bullet wound on Reno's chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. "Do you want to die?"

Reno snorted, causing more blood to come up. "No… but this… was all fun… while it lasted"

"D-don't talk. Save your energy, okay? I'm going to get help, okay," Zack stuttered out, more tears escaping as he stared down at Reno whose eyes were now slowly closing. "H-hey, s-stay with me, Reno."

"I… took the bullet for… for you… 'cause I l-love yah… d-don't forget that, okay?" Reno struggled to get the words out, his body shaking slightly as the blood kept coming, staining Zack's skin.

"N-no, I won't. R-Reno… come on, open your eyes. Please, stay with me." Zack pleaded, his entire body shaking as he freely cried. "Reno… just stay with me…"

"…Okay. Yeah, New York… make it big in New York with a new life."

Zack was answered with silence.

It was deafening to Zack as he looked down at Reno's body, the life that once resided in it no longer there- gone to some other place- or simply gone all together.

"No… no Reno, don't go. Don't leave me, please. I-I can't- we were going to take the world by storm… please, Reno…" Zack let out a sob as Reno's hand dropped to his side, fingertips painted in the blood of Vincent's and his own.

Curling himself around Reno's body, Zack held him close, unable to let go. He knew the police would be coming soon after someone called in to report the sound of gunshots, but he couldn't leave Reno alone in the alleyway. He just couldn't…

"Why did you have to do that, Reno." He sobbed, the blood staining his jacket and shirt as he cradled the body of his fallen friend. Minutes passed with Zack rocking the lifeless body before he finally had the nerve to move. Getting caught now would be like spitting on the life Reno gave him.

Letting go of this tight hold, Zack gently rested Reno's body down on the ground before pulling his jacket off and making a small pillow to rest Reno's head upon. Shaking heavily, Zack tore at the skull cufflinks Reno had given him for his birthday just a few short weeks ago and placed them in his friend's palm. Wrapping Reno's fingers around the cufflinks, Zack let go and watched with pain as the fingers move away from the links into a more relaxed pose- further driving in the point that Reno wasn't there anymore.

"For payment to cross the river Styx…" He whispered before closing Reno's eyes and leaning down to kiss the male's forehead gently. "Keep looking out for me, okay?"

Standing up, Zack turned around quickly and took a few shaky steps before he grabbing his forgotten duffle bag and running down the alleyway, not looking back.

If he did, he was afraid he'd never leave.

Running down the street and into another alley, Zack cut through as many side streets so as not to dram attention. All the while the rain continued to pour, creating large puddles in which Zack ran strait through, water splashing upwards and around his foot- soaking him further to the bone.

He had to get far away, he had to keep running, and he had to get to Cloud's before it was too late. He had to keep moving, keep running and eventually he'd get there. Eventually he could find what he had been looking for.

He was just so close…

"Zackary…"

"Let's meet outside my apartment tomorrow at sunset…. promise?"

A smooth, calculating, and scrutinizing voice caused Zack to falter, his footing becoming uneven as he skidded to a halt.

Turning around, Zack's eyes met with his 'father'. Sephiroth stood at the end of the alleyway, an umbrella in one hand sheltering him from the rain while his other hand rested at his side, close to his weapon. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over Zack as he stared at the man he had once trusted. If he could wash away the blood staining his hands and the past sorrows he'd endured, it almost felt like that fateful day when he first met Sephiroth.

"I think it's time you stopped running, Zackary." Sephiroth said, voice even and steady.

Squaring his shoulders, Zack took a few deep breaths and clenched his blood soaked hands into tight fists. Raising his chin, he stared Sephiroth down, letting all of his emotions translate into confidence, if only for a moment. He wouldn't let Sephiroth win, not this time.

"You've been running all your life, Zackary. From your family, your past, your duties, and your responsibilities… I think it's time you stopped running, don't you?"

Zack took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the memories of the life he was 'running' from wash over him. His first kiss, the hit he took all those years ago, the first time he rode a bike, the day his Dad took him to the zoo- completely sober… the overwhelming smell of Reno's cheap cigarettes, the feeling of Sephiroth's gaze over him, the touch of Cloud's smooth, untainted skin… all of it was but a step forward to a life. Not a thousand steps away from the one Sephiroth thought he was running away from.

Taking another deep breath, Zack let his eyes flash open and stared Sephiroth down one last time. "I don't think I've been running away my entire life, I think I've been running to my life."

Sephiroth tensed for a moment, and for a split second Zack thought ht was going to make it- that Sephiroth would let him go, that he would see something and gain a semblance of humanity in his cold, Yakuza tainted soul- but that hope was to only last for a second.

Pain blossomed in Zack's chest as a cold and calculated bullet made its way into his chest, ripping through muscle and bone to rest itself deep within its victim. Crying out, Zack stumbled back and hit the wall before sliding down it, breathing already limited as the blood pooled in his lungs.

Heavy steps were heard before Sephiroth was crouching down before Zack, umbrella shielding the two from the rain as the older male placed his once smoking gun back into its holder.

"R-Reno… sacrificed himself… for me," Zack stuttered out as he stared Sephiroth down with all his might.

"Some sacrifices are in vain, Zackary. You should know this." Sephiroth replied, voice calm.

"Y-you bastard…" Zack muttered, his hearing overwhelmed by the sound of his own blood coursing through his dying system and the heavy patter of the raindrops as they hit the umbrella.

Sephiroth sighed softly and reached out to cup Zack's chin with his hand, the hand of a cold killer, and forced the dying man before him to look at him. "I gave you your life, Zackary. I took you from the streets and I made you something- and you couldn't help but take it all for granted. You could have been something great- so great that this world I have created could have been yours. But you had to keep running for that life that you would never get. There was nothing better for you, Zackary… nothing."

Letting go, Sephiroth stood up and moved away, letting the rain once again cover Zack. "So now, I'll take back that life I offered you."

Zack let out a weak moan and further slumped against the wall as his vision wavered and the cold crept upon him. Is this what Reno felt mere moments ago?

He watched as Sephiroth turned around and walked down the street, steps confident and steady as he left the man he murdered in cold blood to bleed out on the dirty alleyway cement.

"Yeah, I promise."

"M-my promise…" Zack whispered, vision fuzzy as he tried to stay conscious. "Cloud… my promise to…"

"Fuckin' hell…"

The click of male dress shoes.

The smell of expensive cologne.

The sound of cell phone buttons.

"I have… down the alley-…. Hurry he's bleeding bad-…"

The click of a phone being shut.

"You really fucked up this time… fuck, I don't know why I'm even helping you."

Zack managed to open his eyes enough to make out more silver hair and a dangling smoke before he blacked out completely.

**XX**

"Your flight is soon…"

"Yeah, I know."

"…"

"Just five more minutes. If he doesn't arrive in five minutes, then I'll get in the taxi and leave." Cloud explained, scanning the street up and down as Rude patiently stood beside him, hand resting on the blonds suitcase as they waited outside Cloud's old apartment, taking shelter from the rain under an awning.

"What makes you so sure he'll show up?" Rude asked after a few more minutes.

"Because he promised." Cloud replied.

Authors Note: Yeah, so this took me a really long time to get this out to you guys... like, a really long time. And I'm sorry for the wait, but if you take a look at my other writing, I think it's a little evident that I fell out of the FFVII fandom a while ago (for numerous reasons). Anyways, I know some of you might be upset with this 'ending' (although there will be an epilouge which will clear things up), but I have had this ending planned out since the beginning. Which is maybe why it took me so long to write it out. I must admit, I'm not 100% happy with it- but I don't think I ever will be. This chapter (or I guess the last chapter) will also be my official 'bowing out' of the FFVII fandom for good! I'll save the 'I love you all and thanks for the amazing support!' message for the last chapter, though ;) Anyways, hope you enjoyed and please review if you have time!