OK for starters I would just like to say that I died and fell off the face of the earth there for a loooooong time. But it's Ok now because I've been magically resurrected and so I can update again! YAY! But seriously, it has been forever sense my last update (oh say two years or so?) and to all the folks who have waited for an update I really am sorry. I've noticed that even after more than 2 years I'm still getting hits and favorites on this piece and to all those folks out there I say YOU FUCKING ROCK MY WORLD! So this new chapter is for all of you guys who were hoping I'd get off my lazy rear and update. I can't make any promises on how frequently future updates will come but I'm going to do my best to try and see this story through.

Usual Disclaimers apply, I make no money off this and the characters of FF7 don't belong to me. I just like to borrow them for their yummy goodness. Omnomnomn :P

…

The two friends were on the edge of their seats as the doctor approached them, looking grave. She gave them a small smile as Zach, with his usual boundless energy, bolted to his feet.

"What's going on? Can we see him? Is everything alright?" Zach began spitting out questions rapid fire, causing the small woman before him to grin just a little more at his energetic concern.

"Slow down," she said with a calming patient demeanor. "Physically he will be fine. His arms have been bandaged and stitched up, and while he did lose a good deal of blood we were able to get some back into him and he's O.K. for now. However what concerns me most is a head injury he received."

"Head injury? Was he attacked?" Asked Vincent from where he was still seated on the bench.

The doctor shook her head. "It doesn't seem like it. More than likely he hit his head during a fall. I'd rather not think about it but the evidence would suggest that he was a jumper."

Zack chose that moment to retake his seat, becoming more serious, eyes down cast. He had suspected as much when he saw the deep gashes in the boys arms after fishing him out of the river, but had been in such a rush to get him breathing he hadn't thought much about it. Now hearing the petite doctor say what he had suspected brought this Cloud Strife's, situation out into the open. The truth could be such an ugly thing. Raw and angry and displaying for all to see the horrors that came with life.

Vincent thought for a moment. "There's a small bridge not far from where we found him. Do you think that's where he… well … came from?" Vincent chose to word that last bit carefully. He could tell that Zack did not take that last bit of information Dr. Adani had revealed very well. Zack was always the chipper happy member to their group of friends, always looking for the good in everyone and every situation, and playing the hero for his friends in need. The darker situations in life were those he had trouble handling. For someone who always tried to see the positive it could be hard to know what to do with something so negative.

Dr. Adani nodded, eyeing the now quieter Zack from the corner of her eye, "it is a possibility. What I'm more concerned about is the effect that the injury has had on him. While there are no life threatening effects that we could find he is suffering from severe memory loss."

"Amnesia?" questioned Zack looking more interested in the conversation.

"That's would be correct. He has basic memories; his name, how to function from day to day, but as for his past, where he lives, any friends or family, all gone at the moment. In cases like this there's no telling if or when the patient will regain any of their memories. So as you can see it's very important for Mr. Strife to have someone to look after him until he can get his bearings straight, so to speak. Normally he would be released to his family but seeing as our patient has none to speak of, a couple of good Samaritans seemed like the next best option." She finished her small speech with a warm smile at the two young men sitting in front of her.

Vincent sat quietly with a calm yet attentive look on his face while out of the corner of his eye he could catch the shy grin spreading on the face of his spikey haired best friend.

Hopeful expression on his face, the lavender eyed youth looked to their kind doctor. "Can we see him now? I'd like to be able to meet him properly."

"Let me just check in on him quickly and I'll call you in." With that Dr. Adani turned back to the room she had just left, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

"Do you think we can make a difference for him Vince?" Zack asked his friend seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," the young man began, "this Cloud kid obviously had some problems before all this happened. Do you think we'll be able to help him? Maybe this bump on the head could be a fresh start and we could show him all the things worth living for."

Vincent turned crimson eyes to his thoughtful looking companion. "First off, I don't know what all this 'we' talk is about. As far as I'm concerned I'll help where I can but this is your project. And second, if anyone can help this kid out it's you, my friend."

Zack let one of his trade mark grins shine through at the last part of that statement. A grin so brilliant it was even rubbing off on Vincent as the doctor popped her head out of the room.

"He's ready to see you gentlemen."

The two gentlemen rose from their seats and were escorted into the room of the young man they had saved the night before.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted. There's a buzzer by the bed if you need anything." Dr. Adani excused herself to go and attend to her other patients.

Zack didn't quite know what he was expecting of their new charge, but it certainly wasn't the beauty calmly watching himself and Vincent from the clean white sheets of the hospital bed. The muck from the river of the previous night made it hard to see much of the young man that now sat before them. Pale skin, a little pinker then when they had first met, golden hair just as unruly as his own and stunningly big blue doe eyes. Zack couldn't help but think that this boy would also make an excellent girl. For the first time in recorded history Zack Fair, the bouncy babbling hyperactive puppy, was stunned into silence.

Upon noticing said silence Vincent turned his eyes to his companion only to see the best deer in headlights impression he'd ever witnessed. 'Oh my' the tall raven man thought sighing to himself and shaking his head with a small smile. "Hello, Cloud, my name is Vincent Valentine." Vincent approached the side of the bed and held out his hand in a friendly greeting. The noise and motion promptly brought Zack out of his daze.

"And I'm Zack. Zack Fair!" he followed Vincent's motions, his usual enthusiasm returning.

"Nice to meet you both. You already seem to know who I am." The fair youth took each of their hands in turn but couldn't help the quizzical look he gave the one who introduced himself as Zack. "I suppose I should thank you for saving my life." The boy looked down shyly a slight blush taking his cheeks. Zack thought he might melt at that moment, if this boy got any cuter his head might explode.

'Wait! Bad Zack! Bad! This poor kid is probably scared and confused out of his wits and you're supposed to be helping him!' Zack then proceeded to shove any more of these 'cute' thoughts quickly to the farthest most reaches of his brain.

"Don't mention it," Zack said with a brilliant smile. "Sometimes you just have to do the right thing. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same."

The blond cherub shrugged. "I guess. But I think agreeing to take me in is going above and beyond the call of duty." He gave both the men a grateful look conveying just how grateful he was that he didn't have to be alone and cooped up in a hospital thanks to their generosity.

"Well we couldn't in good conscience just leave you, especially in your unique condition." This time Vincent spoke up eyeing Cloud seriously.

Cloud gathered up his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them, obviously uncomfortable with his situation. "It's … strange, not knowing who you are. I'm not sure just how I feel about it yet." He eyed the bandages on his arms thoughtfully.

Zack decided it was time for a distraction at Cloud's somber mood shift. 'I've got to help this kid out. And now's as good a time as any to start.'

"I suppose we can go ahead and start getting you ready to leave. The Doc said that you're just fine to get out of here. I'll use the buzzer to get a nurse in here, they can probably grab us whatever papers need signing and get you something to change into, Cloudy." The spikey haired male then proceeded to hit the button signaling a nurse that they were needed.

"Cloudy?" The blond asked with a questioning look.

"Just go with it," Cloud turned to meet the red eyes of the man who'd just spoken. "Once he comes up with a nick-name for you it sticks whether you like it or not," he finished with said eyes doing a slight roll.

Within a few moments a nurse came knocking at the door to announce their presence.

"I have the release forums for Mr. Strife." The nurse, a young man in his mid-twenties, came over to Cloud presenting the aforementioned forums.

With a few quick signatures and change of clothes the trio was ready to leave the hospital and head back to Zack and Vincent's apartment.

…

Not the best stopping point in the world but didn't really have the time to go much further at the moment and I really really really wanted to get this out.