I have been laid up in bed with a horrible chest infection for the past week and ended up feeling very miserable. As a result this piece of fiction was born, so be warned it's a bit depressing.

It is a oneshot which takes place after Final Fantasy VII but before Advent Children and is based on events in Crisis Core. Something which I have never done before.

I do not own the characters or the worlds they are from, only the ideas on this page.

I hope you enjoy and please remember to review.

Two pieces

The nightmare was the same, always the same, always pulling him in however much he tried to pull away. The same cursed place under the same cursed sky, as it rained down upon him with cold tears from the heavens.

He was unable to escape as the scene played out again, as the world once more tried to wash away the blood which now soaked into the earth. No matter how hard he tried he was trapped in the hell of this dream, his last memories of the soldier being those of death, pain, suffering and loss.

He didn't want to see this again, didn't want to feel the hurt and anger as someone he loved died in his arms. But there was no strength to break free of this prison, no hope for the blonde as he felt himself being drawn into the past. The sensations in his dreams were so real, the feel of the mud beneath him, the smell of the blood in the air, the pain of the raven haired soldier's words.

"For the ... both of us."

"Both ... of us?" Cloud repeated, the memory of their last conversation now burned into his mind for all of eternity.

"That's right ... you're gonna ..."

"You're gonna?" He whispered as was expected of him, the tears already forming and stinging his eyes.

"Live."

It was here that Cloud could take no more and suddenly woke in the dark night, his cries of pain being deafened by the storm raging outside. The mighty roar of thunder concealed the sounds of his agony as they escaped his lips, in turn offering up its own voice to shout his grief to the world. He slumped back amongst the tangled sweat soaked sheets, his body shaking as he struggled to breath, his heart racing in his chest as the sky screamed its own pain at his sorrow.

The hurt gave way to anger and the ache of loss gave way to hate, the blonde throwing his voice to the heavens as he shouted out in fury.

"I didn't want to be your living legacy." He cried, his breath gasping as the words burned his soul.

"I didn't want your honour and dreams." He roared, as the tears began to fall leaving hot trails down his pale cheeks.

"I only wanted you." He whispered, the words choking him as they spilled from his mouth and into the cold night air.

Cloud curled up on his side and drew his knees to his chest, the once strong warrior who had saved the planet now feeling very much like a helpless child. He wanted to hate the soldier for the words which had been spoken between them as he died, the words of a hero making his last request to the man beside him. But just as much as he felt that anger he also knew that those words had meant more, that they had been said with love and the hope that he would go on. Yet how could he, how could he go on in this world now that he knew a part of him had died in that horrible place as well.

Cloud drew a hand to his chest as it began to hurt again, hopelessly trying to stop the familiar crushing pain that was sometimes so unbearable he didn't want to breathe anymore. It was happening more often now, times when he would wake from haunted dreams to feel the organ becoming twisted and torn, the remaining half beating desperately as it tried to connect with the missing part. The blonde knew where that part was now and the knowledge only brought more pain, the cruel knife of fate twisting deeper between his ribs and reminding him of what he had lost.

More tears began to escape the stormy blue eyes of a man who had known love, the glistening jewels falling gracefully down his face displaying the anguish of a love no more. For all the friends around him, and all the people at his side in times of trouble, the blonde was very much alone in this place they called home. His heart only half of what it used to be, unable to be shared with anyone else, the other piece having followed the soldier into the life stream.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered to the shadows, as lightning cut through the sky.

"I didn't mean it." He choked, as thunder filled the night sky once more.

But no one replied to his heartfelt apology, no friendly face or words of comfort were offered to console him as he cried. Instead he lay in the darkness alone, his body exposed to the cold just as his heart had become, the violent storm outside his only companion in this moment of regret.

Taking a deep breath and holding it Cloud looked towards the sky, the open curtains of his room allowing him to see the world as a reflection of his own feelings. He didn't know if the soldier could hear him, didn't know if his words would reach the one they were intended for, but he had to say them anyway.

"I'm trying Zack, I really am." He told the dark clouds above him, his voice thick from the tears and full of guilt.

"But how am I supposed to live without you?"

This time his words were met with a reply, his question being answered by a whispering voice carried on the wind.

"By remembering that I love you." The familiar sound breathed against his skin, the warm and loving words caressing his damaged heart.

"I love you too." The blonde whispered back, the pain in his chest a little less now as the storm outside finally began to calm and he was able to drift back to sleep.