• A gasp pierced the silence of the near empty room, and Cloud bolted upright, eyes wide open in fear. He had just awoken from a nightmare, the same nightmare that haunted his mind, awake or not. He sat hunched over in the small bed that he had rented for the evening. His hands gripped the sides of his head, fingers entangled in the blonde hair that covered the dome of sorrow he called his head. The familiar tears immediately sprang to his lifeless blue eyes, which he quickly snapped shut. Upon shutting his view upon the world, Cloud was met that same haunting image, In his mind he could perfectly see Zacks face, blood running down and pooling beneath him, mixing with the mud to create a grisly sight on a cliff overlooking Midgar. Cloud could no longer bear it, but the scene wouldn't stop, it just stayed stuck on repeat. Tears fell and darkened the fabric of the banket beneath him. He could hear the relentless report of the rain that fell in his memory, he shook his head, knowing what came next. Zack winced in pain, as his life faded, stirred by Cloud crawling over to him. Every night the memory would play out as if happening again. Cloud could still hear his friends voice in his head...
    "For the...both of us..."
    "Both...of us?" Cloud goaded Zacks last words remorsefully.
    "That's right....you're gonna..." His words came between shallow, pain filled breaths.
    "You're gonna..."
    Cloud cringed, he could almost feel Zack's hand on the back of his head, pulling his face down to his bleeding body, even though this was merely a memory, there was no off switch, he couldn't just shake his head and will this away, this play was here to stay.
    "Live...you'll be....my living legacy..." Zacks grip on Cloud faded, and his arm weakly fell to the ground beside him with a wet splash. Cloud slowly lifted his head, he could the warmth of Zacks blood across his face, even now, as he sat, reliving the worst day of his life. Zack weakly turned his head to glance at his other arm, which still held a firm grip to his treasured sword. "My honor....dreams..." Zack blurted as he struggled to lift the sword up for Cloud to take. "They're yours now..." Cloud could remember how he hestantly reached out to take the blade, once he had, Zacks grip loosened and he pushed the weight of the sword, and all the memories and meaning that came with it, over to Cloud. Zacks arm went limp and fell to the ground.
    "I'm...your living...legacy" Cloud repeated, not knowing what to do with the mammoth weapon he now held. A smile spread across Zacks pale face, and he slowly shut his eyes, and then, was gone. Cloud looked down at his friend, wating, but he said not a word, he was gone, Zack was really gone! The weight of the situation crashed down upon Cloud, and he wimpered four times before yelling to the sky in remorse and agony, both in his memory, an in the dimly lit hotel room which in he now sat. At last the memory faded and Clouds vision revealed an empty room, he was alone, all alone, and nothing would ever change, no matter how hard he cried, or whatever he thought, wished, said, or did would ever bring Zack back. "How can I carry on your life, when I can't carry on with my own without you!?" Cloud angrily said into the darkness, tears flooding down his face. He collapsed back down onto the bed, defeated, time would go on and he would eventually cry himself to sleep as he did most other nights., only taking solace in the fact that nobody was by his side to see him like this.


    -END-