Discoveries 2

Cloud had never experienced anything like it as the casualties started arriving, his body reacting instinctively as the sight of blood and gore burned into his eyes. He bit back bile which rose in his throat, mentally scolding himself for being so weak, forcefully reminding himself of the promise he had made to Sephiroth. He was here to do a job and that was what he was going to do, his personal feelings about what he saw during that time could be dealt with later.

The doctors had not been happy about his presence at first, the more qualified medical professionals considering him to be a hindrance more than an asset. The nurses however were more than happy to have another pair of hands to help them and quickly found jobs for him to do which would make their lives easier and the treating of patients quicker. Cloud argued with nothing that was asked of him, gladly accepting any job that was given or request that was made. He felt no shame in taking orders from whoever gave them, knowing that in situations like this rank really meant nothing when the wounded needing taking care of. As a result his assistance was called on more and more, the nurses becoming more grateful as he did the jobs without protesting or treating them as inferior like so many other army personnel tended to do.

It took a couple of hours to get through the first wave of patients and though Cloud had been kept busy he had yet to see the two people he really wanted to see. In the back of his mind a little voice was telling him that the fact he hadn't seen them yet was a good thing, that by not being in the infirmary it meant they were alright. But there was also a niggling feeling in the back of his head that argued otherwise, a sickening feeling which had started to form a short time ago that told him something was wrong.

"Cloud isn't it?" A gentle voice asked, drawing him out of his deep thoughts and startling him slightly.

"Yes." He managed to gasp, as he looked over at the nurse who had spoken to him.

"Sorry sweety, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's ok, I was just wondering if there was anything else that needed doing."

"You're a good boy." The nurse informed him smiling brightly.

Cloud was about to protest the boy comment, not overly impressed with the way it made him sound younger than he was but stopped when he met her eyes. It only took him a second to see the age and wisdom held within the warm softly glowing orbs and he realised she was probably as old as his own mother. It would also explain why the word had been said with a soft tenderness, rather than a condescending tone which some people still used towards him.

"Thank you." Cloud replied politely, his head bowing a little at the compliment.

"Do you need to take a break?"

"I could do with a drink of water." He admitted blushing slightly as he spoke.

"Not a problem, just head down that corridor and take the fourth door on the right. It's our staff room and you can grab a drink there. "

"Will I be allowed to go in?"

"Of course. You've been helping for a while now so most people recognise you, but if anyone asks tell them Rose sent you."

"You name's Rose?" Cloud replied in surprise, his body experiencing a rush of heat as he recalled the familiar scent of the hand cream from earlier.

"Yes, why?" Rose asked curiously, her face clearly trying to read his slightly embarrassed expression.

"Nothing ... it's just a pretty name ... like the flower." The cadet mumbled, blushing more as the nurse's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Instead of responding with words the nurse suddenly moved forward and hugged him, her quick embrace ending with the cadet being released and turned to face the way he would need to go.

"I'll find you if we need you, now go and get a drink and take a break." Rose reassured him gently, then turned herself and hurried off.

Cloud quickly made his way down the corridor and found the room she had indicated, his heart pounding in his chest as he knocked and waited for a reply. When none came he slowly opened the door and looked inside where he found the room to be completely empty. Sighing with relief he made his way inside and over to the sink where he found an empty cup and filled it with water. The cool liquid was just what he needed and he sighed again as the dry sensation in his parched throat was eased away by the wonderful fluid. Noticing a couple of chairs in the corner of the room Cloud wandered over and sat down, his weary legs now voicing their annoyance of having been made to work for so long without a break. It was only as he laid back against the hard plastic of the chair and closed his eyes that he heard the voices speaking, their hushed words slightly muffled but still loud enough for the cadet to recognise the owner of one. Cloud's eyes snapped open again as he heard the words being spoken.

"There was no way we could have known?" Reno protested, his voice aiming for neutral but still sounding strained.

"That remains to be seen." The other voice replied evenly, the tone clearly revealing the speaker to be annoyed.

"Tseng, you have to believe me." The red head seemed to beg as his own voice became frustrated.

"We have talked about this enough Reno, you know my views on your performance at the moment."

"But this time it's different." Reno cut in, his voice a harsh cry as it fought to remain quiet. "I was not distracted, hell I helped save some of the butts out there so you can't say I'm not sorting out my proprieties."

"Perhaps." The one called Tseng agreed thoughtfully. "I will be speaking to the others and you and I will talk again after the review."

"Thank you." The red head replied, his words sounding almost relieved.

"Do not thank me yet, I still have my doubts."

"You don't need to."

"That remains to be seen." The voice replied coldly. "Now go and get yourself seen to and report back when you are done."

"Yes sir." Reno replied, his voice void of emotion as he responded to what Cloud now recognised as the Turks superior.

The cadet was so lost in his thoughts regarding the overheard conversation that he didn't notice the men leaving the room they had been standing in while talking. It was therefore a shock when one of them walked past the slightly open staffroom door and their eyes meet briefly. Cloud felt his heart slam painfully into his chest as the head Turk glared at him, as the intensity of the man's eyes burned into his own and let him know how disliked he was. The cadet felt himself unable to break the connection which had formed between them, his lungs no longer drawing breath into his body as the shock of being detested by someone he didn't even know ran though him. Tseng's pace didn't change as they stared at each other across the short distance and within a second he was gone from Cloud's view, the small gap between the door and doorframe no longer big enough to reveal him to the cadet. The blonde drew in a deep gasping breathe, his body shaking as air quickly filled his lungs. They couldn't have looked at each other for more than a few seconds, a couple of heart beats at the most, but it had been enough to tell Cloud one thing. Tseng hated him.

The cadet barely had time to register the thought and begin to wonder why when Rose appeared in the door way startling him again.

"I'm sorry honey, but we need you again." She called, waving at him to follow her quickly.

"What happened?" Cloud replied, hurrying after her down the long corridor.

"The second lot are coming in."

"Second lot?" The cadet asked, a sickening feeling rising in his stomach again.

"Yes the remaining troops were attacked again, it sounds pretty bad."

The nurse's progress suddenly halted and she turned placing a reassuring hand on Cloud's shoulder waiting until his eyes met hers before continuing.

"There are some serious injuries coming in and we are going to need all the hands we have, but ... but if it gets too much for you I want you to leave."

"Leave, why?"

"You've done a great job so far, but what you saw earlier ... well ... this is going to be worse. I don't want you getting upset by seeing some ... seeing it, ok?"

"I was assigned to help." Cloud protested faintly, his voice trembling as the worry began to creep in.

"Honey, I know you told us that but the truth is you've been more than helpful." She paused again and looked away uncomfortably before looking back. "I'm worried you're here because of something else ... maybe ... someone else."

"I want to help, it's why I'm here." Cloud whispered, his heart now pounding in his chest. "Please don't send me away."

"I'm not going to do that." Rose sighed, quickly drawing him into another hug before she spoke. "Just promise me if you see ... something ... that upsets you that you'll let us do our job, that you'll ... stay back."

"I'll try." The cadet breathed helplessly against her chest.

"Ok, let's go then." The nurse replied, giving him one more quick squeeze before letting go and leading him to where more medical staff were waiting.

The second wave of casualties arrived within seconds and once again Cloud fell into place doing as he was instructed. He ran between rooms fetching and carrying equipment as necessary and clearing away blood soaked dressings when more space was needed. He watched as examinations were performed on the various injuries and broken bones were set before healing materia could be used, always managing to hold back the waves of fear and nausea which flowed trough him.

It was only when a familiar head of raven black spikes was spotted across the room that his heart actually stopped beating in his chest. The blood soaked bandages covering a pale and unmoving form making the air in his lungs freeze and the blood in his veins turn to ice. He watched unable to move as the doctors rushed around the unconscious soldier, their hands hurrying to treat his wounds and use the healing materia on the injuries. Cloud felt something in his chest break as the heart monitor was attached and slow beeps revealed a faint beating rhythm.

Cloud honey?" Rose asked, her hands going out to embrace the now statue like figure before her.

"Zack." Cloud whispered, his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him as tears began to fall over his cheeks.

"Ok sweety, time to go." The nurse soothed, gently pulling the cadet by his shoulders.

Cloud allowed himself to be led away, his body now lost to shock and unable to resist the kind woman's caring hold over him as they moved back down the familiar corridor. The cadet was so consumed by his panicking state that he didn't notice when they entered the staffroom or that Rose had carefully eased him into one of the uncomfortable chairs. Had they remained just a few second longer then Cloud would have seen the beating rhythm grow stronger, would have seen the violet eyes which appeared briefly beneath fluttering eyelids and felt some relief. Instead the blonde continued to draw in gasping breaths as his mind raced over the scene again, his body shaking slightly as the nurse tried to calm him by rubbing comforting circles along his back.

"I'm sorry." Cloud choked, as more tears escaped the water blue pools that his eyes had become.

"It's ok. Just breath." Rose reassured gently.

"I said I wouldn't let this happen."

"We can't help how our emotions react to these things."

"I should be stronger."

"Strength of heart is always greater than strength of body."

Cloud blinked through the tears and looked up at the nurse, her sweet caring smile drawing a faint upward curve to his own lips.

"Sometimes it's a weakness." He mumbled softly.

"Feelings are never a weakness, they just make us stronger in a different way." The nurse replied, as she pulled him into a comforting embrace.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Cloud calmed and thought about what Rose had said, her words mixing with Sephiroth's earlier comments and making him rethink certain things. It was also during this time that the guilt of his deception about being there had began to grow, the unsettling feeling eating away at the blonde's conscience and making him want to tell the nurse the truth.

"I haven't been completely honest about why I was here tonight." The cadet confessed nervously. "I came because of what happened and to help my friend."

"I had a feeling there was more to it." Rose replied gently as her suspicions were confirmed.

"Are you angry at me? "

"There is nothing to be angry about. Your reasons for being here may have been personally motivated but that didn't stop you from helping the others while looking for him."

"But I misled you."

"Yes you did," she agreed softly, noticing how Cloud flinched at he words. "But we both know that it wasn't intended to hurt anyone and that without it you wouldn't have been allowed to help."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No Cloud, you're not." Rose replied, unable to hide the faint laughter which escaped her lips after the words.

"Why?" The cadet asked nervously.

"Because unlike the doctors we appreciate you being here tonight, you have been nothing but kind, caring and helpful while we took care of the injured."

"I didn't do much." Cloud protested weakly.

"You did more than you can imagine and you also did it without arguing or treating me and the other girls like less." Rose informed him, her voice wavering between a happy and sad tone.

"Why would I?" The blonde gasped in surprise. "You work so hard to take care of everyone and ..."

"You would be surprised how many army personnel treat us like less, even cadets like yourself." She interrupted before sighing heavily.

"Well they shouldn't." The blonde informed her firmly, to which he received a gentle laugh.

"Oh Cloud, you really are something special. I only hope your friend knows that."

"He does." The cadet replied softly, his voice holding the warmth of the emotions behind the words.

Once again a peaceful silence settled between them as both reflected on what had been said, the absence of sound around them only adding to their thoughts and drawing them further away from the world. It was no surprise to the nurse when she felt the weight of the cadet's body become a little heavier against her, when the gentle rise and fall of his chest alongside hers signalled that he had drifted off to sleep. She knew that the cadets were trained hard as part of their build up for soldier tryouts and had no doubt that this extra shift had probably taken its toll on the exhausted blonde. Her mind debated the idea of waking him or trying to move away without disturbing his peaceful state, but after a minute she pushed the thought away and settled back into the chair. The worst of the injuries had been treated and there really was nothing else she could do to help right now, besides, she was also well overdue for a break.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Cloud wasn't sure how much time had passed before he was roused him from a dreamless sleep, the loud knocking at the staffroom door pulling him into a dazed and semiconscious state. He heard the sound of Rose calling out for whoever it was to enter before her voice became quieter and more soothing, the softly spoken words being mixed with reassuring touches to ease him back into the drowse blissful state again. But something inside Cloud didn't want to go back just yet, a part of him needing to know who was at the door and what they wanted. Drawing in a deep breath he fought against the sandman's pull and blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes, the pale blue orbs now struggling to see past the fog and focus on who was entering the room. To the cadet's delight a familiar head of red hair appeared through the slightly open doorway and a warm feeling of relief rushed through Cloud's body as the Turk smiled back at him.

"Hey, I heard they were storing a rare chocobo in here so I thought I'd come take a look." Reno joked as he spotted the blonde across the room.

"Jerk. " Cloud replied softly, his voice thick form sleep but the smile on his face brightening at the sight of the Turk.

"I take it you two know each other." Rose asked casually, her eyes revealing her surprise as she took in the pair's expression.

The nurse watched in amazement as a man who she knew to be a Turk looked upon the blonde with eyes filled with love and concern, the normally cold and detached professional actually allowing his emotions to be seen by the cadet. Then there was Cloud himself, the young man in her arms now glowing softly as if drawing comfort from the red heads very presence in the room.

"More like family." Reno informed her, his eyes never leaving the blonde as he spoke.

"I see." Rose replied, her mind still trying to process the fact a Turk had admitted to such a fact. "Then I will leave you to take care of him."

"I will." The red head replied, the words being said with such certainty it surprised her.

"Ok. Now both of you stay here and as soon as I find anything out I'll let you know."

"Thank you." Reno called as she moved towards the door, his eyes finally coming up to meet hers.

Rose stopped and smiled reassuringly as she took in the look of concern held within the glowing spheres which met her own, the slight flicker of worry dancing within the orbs and showing the Turk's own need to hear about the soldier's state.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." She replied before leaving and closing the door firmly behind her.

"How you doing?" Reno asked, as soon as they were alone.

"Oh God, Reno." Cloud gasped, now fully awake as the reality of where they were filled him with worry once more.

The Turk's arms were already open and waiting for the cadet when he threw himself from the chair and into the embrace, his ability to read the blonde letting him know that this comfort was needed. He hadn't been sure of how much Cloud knew about Zack's situation until that point, silently hoping it wasn't much, but the frightened expression clearly revealed that the cadet had probably seen it for himself.

"It's ok." The red head soothed as he held the cadet's trembling body tightly.

"He looked ... he was so ..." Cloud stammered, his fractured words confirming Reno's fears.

"Ok, let's sit down again." The Turk said, already moving them back towards the chairs and easing Cloud into one. "I know it looked pretty bad, but he's been healed and is going to be fine."

"He was so pale and the heart ... his heart beat was so ..."

"Ssssshhhh." Reno soothed as Cloud's words became broken by a series of small choking sobs. "The mako in his system and the materia they used are making him better"

"But it ... it looked really bad."

"Yea it did look bad, but that's what I mean it looked a lot worse than it was, trust me."

The cadet went silent in his arms and the Turk breathed a soft sigh of relief, his body relaxing back into the chair and drawing the blonde's head down to rest against his chest. Cloud also let out a deep breath and closed his eyes as he settled himself against Reno's body, his ear pressing down over the red heads breastbone and being able to hear the heart beating strongly within. It made him think once more about Zack's heart beat as it had been sounded out by the machine and caused his stomach to tighten, the memory causing fresh tears to prick at his eyes and a small sob to escape his lips.

"Hey." Reno spoke softly, his head coming down to rest on the top of Cloud's head. "He's going to be fine. Trust me, soldier boys to stubborn to die. It would probably take the whole ShinRa army to bring him down."

A soft chuckle filled the air and this time when Cloud hugged him tightly he could feel the change in the embrace, the new hold being a little more relaxed as the cadet drew on him for comfort. They sat quietly for a couple of minutes, the silence only being broken by the sounds of their breathing, their arms maintaining a firm reassuring grip on each other. It was in this moment of peace that Cloud realised something, that while he had been aware of Reno's presence in the infirmary after hearing him earlier the Turk hadn't actually seen him. Moving back so he could look up at the red head the cadet quickly asked the question which now bubbled within him.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I called Sephiroth and he told me where you were. I can't believe the guy let you come here." Reno sighed in mild frustration.

"I wanted to be here." Cloud spoke up quickly, his body pulling away from the embrace to meet the red head's eyes.

"Yea well, what we want isn't always what's best for us." Reno replied sadly, the words being spoken in a way that made them seem to have more meaning than they should.

The cadet paused for a second as if deciding which question to ask next, the one had had planned on saying suddenly seeming less important. But a quick look at Reno's face told him not to try, that the guarded expression going up would only block the attempt anyway. So for the sake of both of their sanities he went for the first choice again, the need to know still burning inside him.

"What happened out there Reno?"

"We were attacked, they caught us by surprise and it went downhill from there. Zack ordered a retreat as soon as it was safe to get the wounded out"

"Why didn't you all get out?"

"They took out one of the choppers straight away, in all honesty it's a miracle they didn't get them both. Anyway I couldn't take everyone and you know soldier boy, he insisted we evacuate the cadets and most seriously injured soldiers first."

"That sounds like Zack." Cloud agreed, his voice sounding both proud of the soldier and ready to kill him for not leaving as well.

"Yea well, he should have listened to his own orders." Reno relied sighing heavily.

"What do you mean?" The cadet demanded, watching as the Turk flinched at the slip.

"I'm just saying ... he opted to stay behind and take care of the remaining troops while help was on its way."

"Then he was already hurt?"

"Damn it." Reno swore softly as he tried to pull away. "Look, it wasn't that bad when we ..."

"When you left him?" Cloud shouted, throwing himself away from the red head

"I had to follow orders." Reno protested, as he watched the blonde begin to back away.

"No you didn't, you didn't have to follow his orders because Zack's not your superior." The cadet retorted, his worry now finding release through anger. "Gaia, you should have dragged him on the chopper."

"Cloud." The Turk whispered helplessly.

"How could you leave him behind?"The blonde asked, his voice barley a whisper in the silent room.

"Because he had a job to do." Sephiroth's calm voice cut in before Reno could respond.

"Sephiroth." Cloud gasped at the general's sudden appearance.

"I have already explained this to you Cloud, sometimes we have to put personal feelings aside and do what is needed."

The general and Turk watched as the cadet shifted restlessly in front of them, his face portraying a mixture of emotions as he struggled to pull himself back together. They waited patiently as he pushed past the anger and fear, his eyes softening and becoming sad as the guilt of blaming the red head began to take over. It was only when the deep pools of blue began to fill with tears that Reno moved forward and took the blonde into a comforting embrace, his shirt instantly becoming damp as the falling beads of moisture were soaked up by the material.

"I'm sorry." The cadet breathed against his chest, the words muffled and touched with pain.

"It's ok, you're upset." The Turk replied tenderly, his hold on the smaller body adjusting to hold it closer.

"I still shouldn't have shouted at you."

"Tell you what, you kick soldier boy's butt for me and we'll call it even."

Reno smiled with relief as his comment was taken in the joking way it was intended, the slight chuckle against his chest indicating that the cadet was regaining his composure. Sephiroth also relaxed as the faint sound reached his ears and allowed himself to move forward and join them, momentarily forgetting who he was and where they were so he could share in this act of comfort. After a minute he pulled back and using one hand carefully lifted Cloud's face up to look at him, the tear stained cheeks making his heart ache a little. Drawing a steadying breath he refocused his thoughts and spoke, the words on his lips being ones he knew the blonde would want to hear.

"We can see Zack now if you would like to."

"We can?" The cadet breathed, his voice barely a whisper as if afraid to ask and find out he had been mistaken.

"Yes." The general replied gently, his hand moving up to carefully brush the evidence of Cloud's tears away.

There was a moment when the blonde looked up in confusion as if he hadn't even known the silvery tracks were there, his mind so tired and emotional drained from the night that he had forgotten he had been crying. They watched as he quickly added his own hands to Sephiroth's and rubbed roughly at his damp cheeks, the action pushing him away from them both so that he stood alone as he pulled himself together.

"Cloud?" Reno asked as the blonde drew in several deep breaths and let them out slowly.

"I'm ok." The cadet replied looking back and giving them a faint smile. "It's just been a long night."

"Yes it has." Sephiroth agreed his eyes moving between both the Turk and cadet as he took in their weary appearances.

"Come on." The red head spoke up, his feet already carrying him towards the door. "Let's go and see how he's doing before he wakes up and comes looking for us."

"He wouldn't." Cloud gasped in shock and horror at the idea.

"Don't you doubt it for a second." The Turk replied, his expression showing that he was deadly serious.

The realisation hit the cadet like a tonne of bricks and he instantly knew that the red head was right, that given even half a chance Zack would be trying to make sure they were ok instead of looking after himself.

"Where is he?" Cloud asked, his body already hurrying through the door and into the corridor ahead of them both.

"Calm down and let me lead the way." Sephiroth instructed, as he gave Reno the glare he deserved.

In response the Turk just shrugged and indicated for the general to lead the way, his body language portraying a relaxed attitude which Sephiroth saw straight through. Instead of picking up on it he silently nodded in thanks and moved forward, his brisk strides setting a pace which Cloud easily followed. They reached the corridor containing the private rooms and even Reno's eyes widened as they approached one of the doors, his concern for Zack's wellbeing now heightened by where he had been placed.

"There any particular reason why soldier boy gets a private room?" He asked casually, his eyes meeting with Sephiroth's to ask the real question which he didn't want Cloud to hear.

The private rooms were normally reserved for important members of staff or special guests at the base and not the usual place for a wounded soldier to be moved to. There was of course the possibility that Sephiroth had made the arrangements, he did have that power after all, but the red head was more concerned about it being for the other reason. The one where the injury was so severe they required special treatment, where something was seriously wrong and they needed to be monitored more closely.

"It appears that the other soldiers made a fuss about him saving them and deserving special treatment." The general replied calmly, the reassuring tone letting the Turk know it was the truth and that he could relax.

"They did?" Cloud asked in amazement.

"Yes, now let's go in quietly in case he is sleeping." Sephiroth advised as he moved to open the door.

Both Cloud and Reno instantly went quiet, the pair even holding their breaths as the general opened the door and passed through into the room, his muscular frame instantly moving to one side so they could follow him in. Once inside Cloud let the breath out as a silent gasp as he took in the sight of the soldier lying amongst the white hospital sheets, his normally glowing sun-kissed skin looking paler and somehow drained of its brightness. He moved slowly across the room as if afraid to wake the sleeping form, the drawn expression on Zack's face making his heart ache and warm tears prick at his eyes. Silently cursing himself the cadet drew in a deep breath and reached out to take the soldier's hand, forcing himself to control his emotions as he held the limb tightly within his grasp. Hesitantly Cloud raised his other hand to Zack's forehead, the small trembling fingers carefully bruising a few stray raven coloured hairs away from the soldier's closed eyes. It was only when his hand made a second pass to catch the strands which had escaped that eyelids fluttered open and glazed violet orbs appeared briefly before disappearing again.

"Zack?" The blonde asked softly, his voice a gentle whisper in the silent room.

"Hey Spiky." The soldier replied groggily, his voice cracking as the words passed over dry lips.

"Water?" Sephiroth enquired sympathetically.

"Please." Was the croaked response.

Cloud watched as the general moved forward and round to the other side of Zack's bed where a full jug and empty cup stood on the small cabinet. He waited silently as Sephiroth poured the clear liquid into the class then helped Zack to sit up enough to drink some of it, the simple action showing Cloud how weak the soldier really was. The feelings of uncertainty were back again and they rushed through the cadet like wildfire, his insides turning to lead as the mental image of Zack's bloody body being treated flashed through his mind. They had all said the soldier would be ok, that the wounds would be healed and that he shouldn't worry, but that wasn't true. One look at Zack's frail state showed him just how serious it had been, how close they had come to losing him.

"Cloud?"

The cadet blinked as he was pulled from his deep thoughts, his body now trembling slightly as he stared down into the soldier's concerned face.

"You ok?" Zack asked, his voice clearer now and filled with worry.

"I should be asking you that." Cloud replied faintly, his hand tightening its hold on the soldier's

"I'm ok, just tired."

"Ok."

"So?" Zack continued, his own fingers curling round the cadet's to squeeze gently back.

"I'm tired too." The blonde admitted without looking away from their hands.

"I hear from a certain nurse that you've been helping out."

"Yes." Cloud agreed hesitantly, waiting for the soldier to give the same response as the Turk had.

"And?"

"And what?" The cadet asked slightly surprised.

"And how was it?"

"I was pretty intense, but I think I did ok."

"I hear you did very well." Sephiroth informed them both, his voice holding a touch of pride as he spoke.

"I did what I could."

"Well you have certainly made an impression here, I have overheard many ... interesting conversations about you." The general replied smoothly, his smile hinting at what the discussion could have involved.

"Sounds like you have some admirers." Zack said, a small laugh following the words as he took in the blushing blonde beside him.

"Could make a guy jealous you know." Reno added teasingly from where he now sat in a chair across the room from them, his own voice sounding quite amused by the revelation.

Cloud sighed and shook his head, the simple action giving the three men another reason to chuckle softly and helping to lighten the mood in the room. After a minute he turned his attention back to the soldier and opened his mouth to speak, the words catching in his throat as he hesitated to ask.

"What is it?" Zack enquired, his eyes now shinning a little brighter as they looked at the cadet questioningly.

"I was wondering if ..."

"If...?"

"If I could lie down next to you." Cloud finished nervously, the uncertainty of asking clearly shown on his face.

"I'd like that." The soldier replied happily, his tired body already moving back to make room for the blonde.

Smiling happily Cloud quickly climbed onto the bed and laid himself down against Zack's body, his smaller frame snuggling in against the soldier's so they could hold each other tightly.

"That ok?" Zack checked, once they were both settled comfortably.

"Yes, but won't we get in trouble if someone comes in?"

"Do not worry about that." Sephiroth cut in before the soldier could answer. "Reno and I will take care of any interruptions, you two just get some rest."

"Thanks Seph." Zack mumbled, as his weary body began to give into sleep again.

Cloud glanced up so that his eyes could meet with Zack's, the faintly glowing violet spheres now barely visible through dropping eyelids. He reached his body up so that he could place a soft kiss on Zack's parted lips and smiled when he felt the soldier's lips curve up against his own.

"Stop that you two." Reno scolded humorously drawing both their attentions towards him. "You can play doctors and nurses later." He added with a mischevious grin.

The Turk knew he was pushing his luck at making such a suggestion but was glad he had taken the chance, the combined reactions he received making the cheeky comment more than worth it. Not only did Cloud blush a lovely shade of red but Sephiroth could be heard groaning as he turned to look at the red head, the look on his face making Reno bite back the chuckle which threatened to escape. But it was Zack's reaction which made them all smile happily, the deep joyful laughter which spilled from his lips showing that he was already feeling better.

It was this sound which remained floating in the air as the soldier, cadet and Turk closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep within the room, the various strains of the day finally catching up with each of them. It was also this sound which the general clung to as he watched over them, his eyes never leaving the precious gifts that life had given him to love and treasure for all time.