Disclaimer: I do not any of the canon characters, the places, or anything to do with the FFVII universe, the only thing that is mine is the writing.

The loneliness was overwhelming as he stayed there, leaning over the sink with a soft whine leaving his lips as he tried to get his thoughts into order. He didn't know just how long he had stood there, with his thoughts an incomprehensible mess, only to be roused out of his jumbled thoughts by a gentle, yet firm hand on his shoulder. He could feel the caring tone of a voice and it took some serious thought for him to realise it was Zack and for a moment, all he concentrated on was the lull of his voice, even if it had a somewhat worried tone to it. Cloud didn't know why he sounded worried, his mind having trouble wrapping around possible reasons only for him to suddenly realise it. Looking up, he noticed his eyes and they were glowing, the blue of them surrounded by an unnatural glow around the very edge of his iris. Well, that would most certainly draw attention if nothing else.

"C'mon kid, snap out of it! Spiky... you're starting to freak me out and I'm a SOLDIER, remember? I'm not supposed to be freaked out by anything," Zack rambled on and on, trying to snap him out of the odd state of mind he had been in. Cloud blinked and he noticed the clear relief that was visible in those sky blue eyes and he couldn't help the small smile that curled his lips, suddenly feeling more than a little embarrassed.

"I uh.. sorry. Had a really bad dream," the blonde muttered almost lamely, looking down even as he could feel those eyes on him. It was wonderful, in a way, to be comforted by the black haired man but at the same time, it wasn't exactly the comfort he was looking for. He knew Zack wouldn't come at him with his sword and skewer him on it without a doubt but of Sephiroth, he simply could not be that sure.

"Suure.." Zack didn't seem at all convinced, watching Cloud quite closely for a moment and in his expression he could see that he was suspecting something a bit more serious. What if the mako had gone and screwed with his head? What if he was breaking and that his mind would be finally going off its relatively shaky tracks? Problem was, Cloud wasn't all that certain that he could say that those things weren't happening to him without lying. His mind was still a mess, a thousand thoughts running about and colliding together, not really making sense even as he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to get his thoughts in some kind of order.

"Could we go to the gym now, Zack? I'd like you to work me to the ground again," he then said with a slight, wry smile on his lips, making the black haired man look a bit worried only for him to nod, having to admit that he usually did get Angeal to beat any kind of mindless self-pity out of him. Cloud smiled almost gratefully at the affirmative nod, a soft sigh of relief leaving his lips.

"Those clothes are fine. Now c'mon! It's bound to be empty so I won't get any weird looks beating a trainee about!" The taller of the two then suddenly said, going right back to being the loud, happy-go-lucky guy that everyone thought he was. Cloud couldn't help but feel slightly sad, knowing that far too many thought that Zack was never sad, never let anything affect him when in reality that man was one of the most sensitive people around. Watching him now, he didn't even realise just how sad the expression in his eyes was as he watched the fakely energetic and happy man in front of him, noticing the slight crease of his forehead and the tug on his lips, showing that he was very much concerned about him. It was ridiculous, really, considering they hadn't even known each other for that long in this life.

Nodding, he practically shooed Zack out, pretending he hadn't noticed that worried glance shot his way as he washed his face again, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he rolled his shoulders back, stood up straight and forced himself to focus. There was nothing he could do, not with Sephiroth not there and with his mind this frayed because of a stupid dream that was a mixture of then and there, fantasies and the past, managing to confuse him most profoundly. Glancing down at himself, he checked that he was relatively modest and realised almost idly that Zack's clothes hung off of him. He really needed to do something about that and getting drilled to the ground was most likely the best way to get fit. Snapping himself out of the stupor that he was in, he let out a soft sigh as he walked out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom and into the living room, looking just as calm and collected as the best of them.

Zack didn't speak as he led the blonde out, simply thinking that he would follow and Cloud did so, his steps slightly hurried to keep up with the long strides of the dark haired man. He could sense that the man was itching to ask him a load of questions and he was wondering if he wanted to answer all of them. He didn't even really know if he had all the answers, but he could try his best for the man that had saved his life? A soft sigh left his lips as he watched the somewhat stiff back of the man and he simply couldn't help himself.

"Ask away."

Zack almost looked surprised as he glanced back at the blonde, seeming to be quite conflicted for a moment before the smile on his face fell and he watched him with a serious expression. Falling back, he settled down to walk in Cloud's pace, seeming to consider his words quite carefully, as if not wanting to spook the man beside him.

"Why do you look at me like you know me from before? Why are you so afraid?" Those were the two questions that were top most in his head and Cloud almost cursed, knowing he didn't have adequate answers for him.

".. You remind me of someone I used to know," he stated, his voice holding a curiously soft tone to it, showing that it was indeed a rather sore subject to him. After all, telling Zack that he wasn't like the Zack that he had known was a bit.. confusing. "And I.. I'm afraid I will lose everything. I've worked hard, I do not want to have it all crashing down."

The contemplative look on Zack's face made Cloud shut up, those blue eyes studying him quite closely and almost wanting to make him squirm. He felt like an open book in front of the man, knowing that if he spent too much time with him then he would not be able to keep himself from treating him like the long lost friend that he was. The questions were not over, however, and Cloud found himself dreading what he would come up with. After all, he was more than a little smart and that was what frightened him.

"Who taught you?"

"The same one I used to know."

"Why did you suddenly show these skills in the SOLDIER evaluation class?"

"I.. I did not feel comfortable showing my skills before."

"Yet you did not show even the slightest capability or potential towards the moves you made, let alone towards the weapon you chose."

To that, Cloud found himself incapable of saying anything, simply watching Zack with slight alarm in his eyes and the man beside him noticed that he had reached the point of discomfort, yet he wasn't all that keen on backing down. The blonde could almost see the way he was itching to ask a bunch of questions, to dig even deeper. To Cloud the most frightening thing was knowing that if Zack wanted to, he would be capable of drawing out all of the information from him and if he did, he wondered just how much of a lunatic he would find himself considered.

"And your eyes look far older than they should. Like you've seen too much, been betrayed too many times. Yet here you are, watching me like you trust me, where as when looking at Sephiroth, you can't seem to be able to choose between being terrified or completely enamoured." These were clearly something that Zack had mulled over in his head a lot and they were also something that made Cloud feel cornered, not knowing how to explain any of that without exposing himself even further. It was disconcerting, almost making him want to run away and forget all about this stupid dream of ever becoming a SOLDIER but something was still keeping him there, kept him walking towards the gym.

"I've seen too much," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You've never once gone anywhere else apart from Midgar and Nibelheim."

And that effectively shut Cloud up, his head snapping to the side, watching Zack with surprise, not in the slightest having anticipated to have been followed when he had growing up in the mountains. The thought almost made him feel claustrophobic and he knew he was running out of options and he was running out of them fast. However, they reached the gym before he could say anything and thankfully, he didn't press on and instead, once they were inside, he took started running him to the ground again, now simply going with weight training, making the blonde sweat in no time. In fact, they most likely only worked for about an hour and even then, Cloud was practically dead as Zack finally called them to a halt and he didn't even realise the way he leaned on the taller man, panting, his arms and legs shaking from the exertion.

"If I told you, you'd think I'm crazy," Cloud finally gasped through his quickened breathing, looking up at him apologetically, the sincerity in his eyes beyond honest and that was what made Zack smile slightly.

"I live a crazy life. I don't doubt your story would make that much of a difference," he said with a laugh and a shake of his head, making a weak smile curl the blonde's lips as he simply wondered what had ever made him worthy of this man's trust. The relief made him sag and he didn't even doubt that he wouldn't be held up, the two of them starting to make their way back to the apartment even as Cloud contemplated whether or not he should have told him all about this entire different universe and reality think. Biting his lower lip, he let out a soft sigh before he glanced around, making sure no one else was there.

"I.. I've already lived this out once. I've seen you die, I've been you and I've been saved by you. That is why I look like I know you," he blurted out, not daring to meet Zack's eyes especially not when he felt him tense and stop, almost feeling as if he would be pushed away and that was the one thing Cloud didn't want, knowing it would be the thing that would hurt the most.

"But that's.. You weren't kidding when you said crazy, did you?" He asked, his voice holding a curious tone to it and Cloud found himself unable to read him as well as he should have.

"No. I was twenty-four and then something.. happened. The Planet happened, I think. Now I'm back here," he said with a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I want to be normal, Zack. As normal as one can be in Shinra and SOLDIER. Please, please don't tell anyone?"

The plea was clear as he looked up at the dark-haired man, feeling quite afraid as the man started walking again, not quite knowing what to say only for his thoughts to freeze up even more as he heard those familiar steps behind him. Why oh why now? Had he heard and how much had he heard? He almost let out a whimper, squeezing his eyes shut and he didn't even realise he was gripping Zack harder than what was necessary.

"Tell anyone what?" Came that dark, deep tone of Sephiroth's, making him quiver in an array of mixed emotions.

"Cloud's got it bad for you, Seph!"

Zack grinned, Cloud's jaw dropped and Sephiroth rose an elegant eyebrow, only to smirk. Cloud couldn't help but want to be swallowed up by the ground, even as he realised that Zack had just promised to keep his secret. Whether it was because he thought he had lost it, or that he believed him he did not know, but in any case, he was beyond glad about it.