𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝖮𝖿 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍

11: Who are you?

His gaze never left my shaking body, he was stunned at what he has just witnessed.

"These eyes... I remember them." he said.

I was anxious at the fact that I was exposed like this. I didn't want to!

"I didn't mean to.." I said quietly as tears of frustration gushed in my eyes.

"Hey.." Cloud tried to reach out to me but I moved away, "Don't follow me." I said sternly as I started walking away.

He, however, didn't stop following me. He kept his distance behind me, but was still making sure I was going to be okay. 

Did he know by any chance who I was? It's true that me and Zack carried him to the safety that day, but he shouldn't be remembering that because he was unconscious.

While I was still in my thoughts, I didn't see the beast jumping at me, "Watch out!" Cloud shouted, but before I could process it, the beast pushed me on the ground and its claws sunk deep into my flesh on my thigh which me shriek painfully.

Cloud killed the beast instantly, but I felt this horrendous pain in my thigh.

He quickly kneeled beside me to check on the wound, but I pushed him away, "Go away already!" I said while the tears were pouring down my cheeks.

He got startled upon seeing my crying face. His hand shot up to his head as he hissed painfully, clearly remembering some sort of trauma. I felt guilty for lashing out on him.

The power of lifestream, the healing that could help the wounded; it was now your time to shine.

I put my hand on his head as the power of lifestream now flowed through me to him. I calmed down his painful headache he seemed to have, all of sudden forgetting about my own wound.

His eyes then looked right into mine.

But the pain then made me unlock this intense stare we both gave to each other. He also then came back to realization and didn't hesitate to rip a piece of his shirt. He tightly wrapped it around my wounded thigh, but I stopped him, "I've got this.." I said painfully.

My hand then came to my wound, healing the deep and infective scratch that was made by the beast that was long gone now.

The pain disappeared as if nothing happened, but I was now feeling so exhausted at so many events that happened just now. The poison still had its side-effects on me, one of them was clearly the exhaustion.

My consciousness was fading away. I was drained.

"Aerith..." I said in my mind, talking to her through a telepathy, "Yui?" she said in hers, being clearly worried at the sound of my inner voice.

But then I felt the darkness surround me and I have entered the long tunnel.

Even though my consciousness was gone, my nightmares weren't. I have entered another one.

...................

"They killed him.. Z-Zack...!" said younger Cloud with his heart breaking.

He was feeling internally weak and powerless. Even the pain from so many wounds and bruises on his body.

He reached out his hand towards motionless Zack who was probably breathing his last breaths. He crawled in the mud, he didn't care he was dirty, he didn't care he was in pain, he wanted to see his friend for the last time. 

He HAD to live! 

"Don't leave me.. Not you too!" were his desperate thoughts.

He was crying, both out of physical and inner pain he was feeling, "Z-Zack.." he cried out as he watched his dying friend.

Zack looked him in the eye with a smile on his face, " For the... both of us." said Zack in pain.

The rain on his face made his blood spread all over his cheeks. It was a living nightmare.

"Both of us?" asked Cloud, not understanding what he meant.

"That's right... you're gonna.. " Zack paused, "You're gonna?" Cloud was desperate at what he was trying to say.

Zack then reached out his hand and put it around his head. "Live.." he then put his head on his deadly wound which made Cloud's face be covered in a still warm blood.

"You'll be... my living legacy.." said Zack between the painful breaths.

Zack then gave him his sword. He didn't ask him, he forced it on him, "My honor, my dreams.. they're yours now." he said, knowing it will be in better hands with him.

Cloud then sadly repeated after his words, "I'm... your living.. legacy."

Zack kept smiling on him, however this time, he closed his eyes for good. His last moments were spent by Cloud's side. But there was so much stuff about this situation that made Cloud thoughts swirling in his head.

He was dead.. He was gone.. for good.

He then screamed out in agony. His outer pain was nothing compared to his inner one. He has lost his best friend. Zack died for him. 

"I wish I could prevent this from happening.. I wish it was the opposite, Zack, I'm so sorry.." were Cloud's thoughts.

But that's when he suddenly sensed another presence, he knew there was no threat. But his heart was so broken now that he only stared emotionlessly.

There was a girl.. What was she doing here? This was a battlefield so what was she doing here?!

But she fell to her knees as she cried heavily, "Zack..!" was what came first from her mouth.

She was devastated, even more than Cloud at this situation, but that was probably because he was couldn't still process this.

"I-I will not let you die.. I won't!" she cried so hard as she made her way to Zack's dead body.

Cloud looked into her eyes, they were full of pain and hatred at the same time. There was finally a person who felt the same as him now. Something about this girl made him feel relieved. He was being understood for his actions and not blamed as he has always been. Even emotionless people are still people! And she wasn't judging him, she was there with him, crying over the loss just like him.

Her hands shot up to her heart, probably holding onto it because of the pain he was also feeling there. She sobbed hard, so hard.

Just who was she?