If I can let the memory heal

[notrlychaotic.livejournal.com]

Who: Cloud Strife and Zack Fair
Where: Violet City Inn
When: Backdated to Tuesday, May 17th
Summary: Seeing Zack faint triggered some unpleasant memories that come in the form of a nightmare.
Rating: PG
Log:
Cloud's brows furrowed as he slept, images of years long since past finally surfacing as he dreamed. He tossed and turned. A yellow truck. It was bumpy and going fast, they were headed to Midgar again. Midgar... they were suppose to go there together, right? Why? What were they going to do? What had Cloud been doing? Why couldn't he move?

Zack was suddenly pushing him to the bed of the truck, the driver stopping so Zack can run away from the truck and let the driver go safely. Cloud was resting against a giant boulder and Zack was walking away.

No. Don't go...

But he did and Cloud struggled to find him again. When did it start raining? Why was it red? It rain like a river and there were bodies everywhere. But Cloud didn't notice, he was following the main trail to the edge of a cliff. Zack was there, he was full of holes, barely breathing. What happened? Why did he fight? They were suppose to go to Midgar... right? But Zack is telling him to go on, giving him his sword and to be his living legacy. Cloud was barely understanding, his mind was so mako-addled that all he could do was stare blankly. And then... Zack stopped breathing.

Memories. Not his own, memories bombarded his mind. They were Zack's memories, most of them anyway. They filled his blank mind, to wake him up, to give him a purpose, to give Cloud a path to his new journey. To be the hero Zack died to be.

He screamed. And then, he awoke. His teeth clenched in effort to stop the scream that wanted to claw its way out of his throat. His bangs clung to his face, his chest heaving for breath. He was in shock. He remembered the reason why Zack wasn't in the memories he managed to regain in the void and he had expected this but seeing it in such a way tore at his heart. Cloud felt as though he had let Zack down, but why? How? He still didn't remember his life and yet the guilt was there. He sat up and stared at his lap. The mako he had would have allowed him to stare at the very threads but all he saw was a dark mass that was his blanket. And then, a warm, furry body curled up onto his lap, staring up at him with sad eyes. Gently, Cloud pulled Stardust into his arms, needing something to hug since he didn't want to wake Zack who was in the bed next to him.

Zack's rising and falling chest allowed him to know that the teen was, indeed, still alive. But he was afraid to go near him now. He didn't know what to do.

Comments

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Zack lay still and quiet, controlling his breathing, waiting to see what was going to happen. He had caught the sound of Cloud's breathing change as he woke up, the heavy sound speaking something of fear, waking him from his sleep. Zack would have gone right too him, except that he always worried that the older male would be unhappy at it being known he suffered from nightmares, even if it was only Zack who knew.

After a few minuets of debating with himself, noting that Cloud still sounded upset, he turned to open his eyes and look at the blond.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, knowing full well that Cloud was not 'alright' or 'okay' so not bothering to ask either one.