Title: Watching you perish

Rating: PG-13

Reasons for rating: Death, Violence

Summery: Ever wonder how Cloud felt after watching his best friend, Zack, killed in front of him?

Pairings: None. Strong friendship relationships only.

Short/Average/Long in length: Short

By: Dark Ha Des

"No... Stop...", Cloud could only find to strength to mutter the words. This couldn't be happening...

"Zack...no... please...", He winced as blood was shot on his face. It was every where... no... No... NO!

The soldiers smirked at their easy victory. Their shirts were blood stained, looking as if they had just butchered a lamb, or slaughtered a pig. But they had just done more than that... They killed his best friend... No... His only friend...

He closed his eyes, not caring when he felt the barrel of a gun pressed up against his head.

"What should we do with this one?" the Shinra slave asked, gritting his teeth, hoping for yet another easy prey to eliminate.

Cloud didn't care, he invited it. What did it matter? His only friend, the only one to ever be there, to help him up if he were to fall... was gone... destroyed by merciless assassins.

Just do it... he begged in his mind. Ironic... a moment ago he had been pleading them to stop, now he was praying they would do it again.

"Just leave him", the red-uniformed one ordered, all three of them running off. Cloud could hear them laughing, and joking the whole way until they were out of earshot.

Tears were in his eyes. He looked up at Zack's motionless body, lying there as if asleep.

He crawled by his elbows, not having the strength to stand. He crawled over to Zack's body. He was still breathing...

"Zack..." Cloud couldn't find any will power to say anything else.

He gasped as a voice made his ears sing with a small glimmer of hope, "Hey... you finally speak..." Zack joked in his normal attitude.

"...Zack..." He was still searching for words.

"I guess... I'm gonna... have to leave... you hanging... Sorry... for... saying I... wouldn't..." He tried to chuckle but ended up only coughing up blood.

"I'm sorry... I should've helped..." Cloud whimpered.

"..." there was no reply.

"Zack...?" he looked up.

"..." Nothing.

He eyes overflowed, "Zack... please don't leave me alone..." He rested he forehead on Zack's lifeless corpse.

"You were my only friend Zack... For those five years in that lab... Those five years of torture you were there... You were the first friend I've ever had", he sobbed "Please Zack... Don't go... Don't leave me alone... I don't want to be alone again..." he had suddenly lost all his strength and was on the brink of sleep "I don't want to be alone again..."

Cloud looked over at Zack's Buster Sword. It took all his willpower, but he lifted it. He forced himself to stand and whipped his eyes.

Cloud pointed his way towards Midgar.

"Your death won't be in vein Zack..."