Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, setting, etc. They all belong to Square Enix and the United States of America
Warning: Swearing, Violence
He stayed close to Zack as the sirens drew near- body crouched over as he watched the man struggle to survive. Blood continued to be slowly pumped out of a single bullet wound and he thought it odd how such a small item could completely destroy a life…
But he knew that it was close- too close at the moment. Zack was probably as good as dead, and why shouldn't he be? After what he had done…
But what exactly had he done? Simply stood up for what he believed in- that's what. And that was a great deal more than he himself could account for.
The ambulance arrived first- lights flashing and sirens screaming through the alleyway, alerting the neighbourhood to the events that had taken place right beside their homes. Standing up, the young male backed up so he was out of the way as paramedics rushed towards Zack.
"Were you the one who called?" One of the medics asked as they crouched over and began to assess the fallen man. Moving him so he was lying down, they ripped open their bags and began to take out supplies- grim determination on their features.
"Yeah, I did," Cool green eyes watched the scene with slight worry- despite the male's better judgement. "I just found him lying here and…"
"He's lost a lot of blood, we're going to have to move him fast before he slips past us," one of the medics muttered before looking up at the caller for a split second. "Do you know him? Know his past medical history- if he's allergic to anything?"
The sound of police sirens could be heard drawing closer, and with them more questions would be asked- and more suspicion would be placed upon the slight male. Brushing wet, sliver hair out of his eyes, he licked his bottom lip before stepping back, glancing one last time at Zack's fallen figure. God, he looked dead already…
"No… well, I knew him once." The young male answered before stepping away completely, ignoring the cries from one of the medics to stay behind and answer questions- after all, the police were almost there.
Shrugging off the nagging feeling like he might still be able to help, he turned the corner at the opposite end of the alleyway and strode past Yazoo who had peeked around the corner to observe the scene that had gone from frantic to panic for the medics after Zack began to die on them.
Death was always easier to watch at a distance.
"Kadaj… why did you call for help?" Yazoo asked, tearing his gaze away to see Kadaj getting into the car they arrived in. Stopping mid way, Kadaj paused and sighed softly as he closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of sirens and the image of Zack just lying there.
"I guess because he stayed true to himself… loyal to the end- even if it wasn't to the family. You have to admire him for that." Kadaj said softly, making it difficult for Yazoo to catch admits the patter of rain and the arrival of the police not far off.
"Let's go." Kadaj said, this time louder as he sat himself down in the car seat and slammed the door. Yazoo followed suit and got in, driving away from the scene of the crime. Yazoo could see the headlines in the newspapers tomorrow; 'Three Yakuza Members Found Shot to Death- Good Riddance'.
Kadaj didn't know if he had saved Zack's life or not- he probably never would- but he might as well give Zack that one last push to the finish line… because if Zack didn't reach that freedom he so desperately wanted, what hope did he or anyone else in this harsh world have?
**XX**
Two years later…
Warm sunlight shone into the bedroom as a cool breeze that had traveled through a crack under the window caught white curtains, opening the room to the rays of the sun. Cloud lay on the bed, a warm smile gracing the lips of the blonde as his eyes wandered about the scene displayed out the window.
It was going to be a cold day- but it was welcomed. After all, Cloud had the day off thanks to a silly American holiday called Thanksgiving. He supposed he had a lot to be thankful for at the moment, but unfortunately the actual holiday itself was more about eating as much turkey as possible. Cloud was all up for copious amounts of food, but he preferred to spend the holiday thinking about how thankful he was to be at a place in his life where he was happy.
Truly and honestly happy.
It was a strange concept for him after spending years in a constantly foul mood, with pressures and constraints reigning supreme in his already fragile psyche. It didn't help that for a few months in there he was on the hit list of one of the most influential mob bosses in Japan, and had spent every waking hour thinking he would die at any moment.
But now he could just lie in his bed and enjoy the way the sheets felt cool and yet warm at the same time against his skin. How he could hear the honking from the cars down below, signalling a city bustling with life… and how he could enjoy a warm body pressed against his own.
The vibrating of his cell phone snapped Cloud out of his musings, and he sat up quickly to answer the call. The name 'Rude' flashing across the screen as a little phone icon danced about at the bottom, making Cloud roll his eyes. God, he hated that little phone icon.
"Hey…" Cloud answered, his voice low and heavy with sleep. "What time is there?"
"Late, but it doesn't matter. I'm just glad I caught you."
"Yeah, I get to sleep in today- spending my second American Thanksgiving in bed." Cloud laughed softly, relaxing slightly as he heard the familiar voice of Rude come through to him. He also had to admit it was nice to hear Japanese again.
"Well enjoy it- I have to work tomorrow." Rude replied as the sound of papers being shuffled around could be heard. "Anyways, I had something I wanted to discuss with you."
Cloud rolled his eyes and leaned against the headboard of his bed. Of course Rude was always strait to the business side of things- he never was good at small talk. "Discuss what?"
"About something in the news today- appears another war broke out between different Yakuza families."
Cloud's chest seized, breath catching in his throat as images of blood, bullets, and the voice of that man telling him about Zack flashed across his mind.
"Yeah, what… what happened?" Cloud asked softly, eyes looking out the window once again.
"There were a few causalities- and a lot of arrests which is a huge deal for the police, obviously. The leader of one of the families… he was shot. He went by the name of Sephiroth. He died from his injuries at the hospital later on. Strange though… he was shot by one of his own men." Rude mumbled as he skimmed over the news article again.
Cloud thought of Sephiroth- his strong and secure stance as he sat behind the mahogany desk in the back office of one of the Pachinko parlours, his long silver hair hanging gracefully over his shoulders as he read your fate out to you- your death sentence- as if he were discussing a simple business agreement. But that's what life was to Sephiroth, Cloud mused… a simple business agreement. Seems his agreement had finally caught up to him.
"It is strange that someone from his group killed him… did they say who?" Cloud asked, fiddling with the edge of his blanket.
"Mm, no they didn't say a name- just said he looked like he was related to Sephiroth in some way. They think it was a grab for power… either way, I thought you should know, seeing as how…" Rude trailed off at the end, voice showing his hesitancy to continue the subject.
"Yeah, thanks… I'll talk to you later, alright? You should go to bed soon." Cloud replied, running a hand through messy blonde hair.
Rude grunted softly and said his goodbyes, as Cloud pressed the 'end' button on his phone, officially ending the conversation. Letting out a puff of air, Cloud put his phone back down on the side table, mind slowly turning the information he was given around in his head. He wanted to know who killed Sephiroth- who finally decided they had had enough…
Maybe it was…
Shaking his head, Cloud crawled back under the covers of the bed and rolled over, thinking about how the Yakuza would always be the same- power hungry, consumed with fear, pain, and with an overwhelming urge to be someone… anyone. He was all too aware of how that could feel…
But he had managed to break away.
Sighing once again, Cloud rolled over to face the other side of the bed, a smile tugging at his lips as his gaze fell upon the man next to him.
Breathing deeply, Cloud's partner lay beside him, face buried in the pillows and arms wrapped under his chest, sleep still keeping a hold on him. Bringing a hand up and over, Cloud let his fingers wander down the males back softly as he once again tamed the dragon that danced with the waves.
There was no use dwelling on such matters- Cloud thought. Not when there was so much of this beautiful world to admire, too many emotions to seek out, and happiness to obtain.
Cloud had found freedom in this beautiful world, and he was glad that his dragon had too.
Authors Note: That's it, folk- the last chapter of this one rollercoaster of a fanfiction. I tell yah, this took a lot out of me over the past few years. I wanted everything to be perfect, and I think I achieved that… despite there being a few snags in regards to story narrative that I couldn't change. Oh well, such is life, right? But if you couldn't guess, I left the ending up for you guys to decide- but I am kinda pushing you guys towards a very obvious choice as to who is in the bed with Cloud. Let's just say I don't always write tragedy! Anyways, with the end of this story, so ends my FFVII fanfiction writing days. I mentioned in my last AN about how I was planning on 'leaving' the FFVII fanfic fandom- and I think it's now the time for that. I still love the game, and I adore the characters to pieces- especially Zack. Words cannot describe how much this community means to me, and how I honestly wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't begun to write Fanfiction. I wrote my first fic called Sunday Afternoons for the FFVII fandom, and because of all the positive reviews and honest, heartfelt, support- I knew that I was good at writing, and that I could actually do something with my writing- whether that be making people laugh, cry, feel anger or sadness… all of those emotions and reactions are what make us humans, and I am glad I was able to bring out some of the humanity that this world desperately needs to you guys. I know that sounds pretentious, but I think the written world can help make this world a better place. Anyways, I would like to thank EVERYONE who has read my works, reviewed them, favorited them, and enjoyed them- you all mean SO much to me. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you guys for changing my life- even if you didn't think you guys did. I can't properly convey how much you guys mean to me- but you guys mean a lot… like, a lot. Anyways, I'm not saying I won't ever write another FFVII fic, but for now, I'm just going to go off and leave the writing to the new FFVII generation. You guys do us old school ZackxCloud fans proud, you hear?
Love, Lemon