The sun was high in the sky that day. Puffy clouds gently crossed the sky yet refused to cover up the sun, causing both Zack and Cloud to break into a sweat without even meaning to. Otherwise, the weather was clear and beautiful.

And then it happened. An ambush of great proportions. Zack was down. Cloud had screamed inside of his head when he saw Zack being attacked. He wanted to help his lover and best friend. But Zack had, at the last minute, told him to stay silent and still.

The rain began.

Cloud had seen the whole thing from the edge of the trees where Zack and placed him to rest. When the Shinra bastards had scattered, Cloud felt his strength renewed. His body still ached and he was still weak, but he managed to thrust himself forward into a crawl and made it to Zack's side, just as a wave of nausea overwhelmed him. He had seen everything, and he knew that the wounds were going to be bad… but seeing it up close this way, and smelling it… Oh Gods, the smell.

He would never get the smell out of his mind. Even years later, he couldn't even eat meat.

"Z…Zack?"

"Cloud…"

"I'm here, Zack. What can I do?" Cloud asked. Begged. He reached his hands down and gently rested them on Zack's chest, trying to think of what to do. The blood was flowing out constantly from the bullet holes that riddled Zack's chest, and with each struggling breath that Zack took, more blood spurted out and flowed warmly over Cloud's outstretched hands. It was a river - an unstoppable river of life bleeding from Zack. Little by little, Cloud saw flecks of light disappearing from Zack's sky-blue eyes.

"Cl…oud… it's s'mthing you can't help me wit' this time," Zack mumbled, his breath faltering, speaking in jagged words and syllables.

"There must be something I can do, Zack!" Cloud yelled. He looked around him quickly; maybe there was something he could use. A cure materia? Anything? In pieces, he found all of Zack's materia shattered in the dirt around him. Blood glistened on the shards in the sunlight, but the vision blurred as Cloud's tears began to flood his eyes. He jumped up and forced himself into a run to make it behind a nearby boulder, vomiting violently. There was nothing inside of him to give; he was expelling pure mako and bile.

He wiped his mouth and shuddered, standing back up and making his way over to Zack. It had taken all but thirty seconds, but Zack was much worse off than he had been before Cloud got sick. He settled next to Zack but refused to look him in the eyes. It was too painful. Instead… he looked at the sky, spewing forth its damning rain. And cursed it.

All those things they never did and never said to each other, it all came rushing to Cloud in an instant. With each fading heartbeat, he held Zack's hand and prayed to whatever gods were listening and watching to spare this love of his. He could not go on living without his soul mate, for what good was he with only half of a soul? Zack was the keeper of half of his soul. They were meant to be. This was not happening!

Cloud heard a gurgling noise coming from Zack and made himself look down. Zack was looking up at him and trying to say something. Cloud leaned forward.

"You're gonna... live," Zack said, then raised a hand to the back of Cloud's head and pulled him forward. Their lips met for a last time, and blood sweared onto Cloud's face and into his hair. When he pulled away, Zack was struggling once more to say something.

"You… are my… living leg..acy."

Cloud swallowed hard. "Your living… legacy?"

"Re..member, what I said about the sword, Cloud?" Zack asked, exhausted. He slightly raised his arm and motioned to the sword in his hand and Cloud took it from him.

Zack nodded his head once, slowly. "My dreams… they are yours now," he said, closing his eyes. Cloud dropped the sword and grabbed Zack by the shoulders, shaking him. "Zack! Don't you leave me here, Zack! What about our dreams? What about those promises you made to me? You can't go, Zack!" he yelled. There was a slight shudder from Zack, his mouth opening slightly as if to breathe, and Cloud barely heard the words.

I love you.

He thought at first that he had imagined the words, but when he saw a gentle smile spreading across Zack's face, he knew he had heard correctly.

Cloud screamed.

He had never screamed before. Not even when he was a little boy growing up in Nibelheim, frightened of the bugs that his mom would have to shoo out of their home during the summertime. Not once did he scream while Hojo was experimenting on him and Zack. This was a real scream, summoned from the very depths of his soul. It tore out his throat and made him want to follow Zack. The cliff was high enough, wasn't it? Were there not some Shinra guns left over from the attack? So many ways… and yet…

"You are my living legacy."

How could he honor Zack by following him into death? And so, he took hold of the Buster sword and stood up. Swallowing his tears, he put on a brave face.

"Goodnight… Zack."

As he made his way to Midgar, dragging the heavy sword behind him most of the way, he thought only of Zack and the times that they had shared. It was over too fast. It wasn't fair what had happened to Zack, and it wasn't fair to the both of them to be cheated out of living the rest of their lives together. What was Cloud going to do now, now that Zack would not be there to greet him with a smile every morning? What was the point of even waking up, or even going to sleep?

Waking up could be easily prevented.

Sixty years, Zack. I'm such an old man now. Can you believe that I've held on for this long? I've watched everyone around me die off. Tifa is not too far off from death herself. Rufus is gone; he's been gone for many years. Tseng as well. Rude and Reno are still hanging in there, can you believe it? All these years, and they are still fighting with each other like old women. Cid and Shera have gone on as well; I still see their children every once in a while. They are grandparents now, and so is Marlene and Denzel.

Yuffie died many years ago. Vincent is still Vincent; he has not aged a bit. Everyone else is still here and there. Even Barret is hanging on.

And I am alone, waiting for you. I'm still here after sixty long years of regret and pain. This is my hell, Zack. The doctors say that I have a bad heart. I drink so much that I hope I pass out and never wake up again, but it never happens. I always wake up to the same old shit. Arthritis; stiff bones, aching joints. Things you never got to experience. You'd be kind of glad you didn't get the chance to… but I know you well, and you would endure all of the pains that come along with being elderly, just to have spent all these years with me.

The times have been changing all around me. The grass is much greener now, and people are beginning to be healthier these days. I don't really care, though. All I want is to be with you. I want heaven.

That's all I've ever wanted.

I've written all of these things down so that future generations can know what it was like to love you, even if they have only ever heard your name or read it in a history book. I want them all to know that you were a kind and gentle man who loved and was loved in return…. that you were someone who would die for others. Someone who would die for me.

Oh, Zack. If only you would come for me and take me home with you. Haven't I spent enough time on this planet, wallowing in shit and drying my tears by the hour? Why must I stay trapped between heaven and hell?

I often wonder what you will look like whenever I finally see you again. Will you still be young, the way you are frozen in my memories? Do people age in the Lifestream?

…Will you still love me after all these years?

In closing, I say once more: Goodnight, Zack. And goodnight to me, hopefully once and for all.

- Cloud Fair… Because that's what my last name should have been many years ago.

Cloud, are you ready?

He thought he had heard Zack's voice only in his fading dream, but when he found himself fully awake in bed, he heard his voice again and knew it was for real.

Sorry it's been so long, Cloud. You just weren't ready yet. But I'm here now.

He felt a warmth surround him completely, and he closed his eyes.

Welcome home.

A/N: Please check out my friend KirasTastefulTragedy's *fanfic* to this fic, here: fanfiction .net/s/6015064/1/Forgiven - THANK YOU, KIRA! *hugs*