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Buster clatters out of his hand before Zack's even really aware of it.
He hits the ground. Too exhausted to think, to move, without the sword as a brace. But he can't afford to just lay there. Not when Cloud's been left to the elements as long as he has. Helpless and alone.
He has to get up.
Cloud needs him.
He'd already failed him once, he couldn't again.
His arms tremble in protest as Zack pushes himself up and he notices the footsteps coming at him far too late.
A pair of infantry issues boots move into Zack's line of sight. He looks up, right into the barrel of a gun. His heart lurches into his throat. He's going to die.
Despair about chokes him as he closes his eyes. He's failed. Again. And the pitiful thing was Zack wasn't afraid for himself, wasn't mourning the end of his own life. He mourned for Cloud. Who was also going to die by proxy. Only far slower than Zack himself. He'd hidden him well, after all. The younger man would no doubt starve or succumb to dehydration with no-one to care for him.
The trooper that loomed over Zack laughed under his breath and clicked his safety off.
Zack tenses. Prepared for pain. Fingers digging into the dirt. A gun fires. And he waits a few minutes before he realizes nothing hurts.
Mako tainted eyes flutter open, the opposing trooper is dead on the ground, missing half of his skull. It doesn't make any sense. Everyone else was long dead. What had happened?
"Zzz...Zaa.. Za..ck?"
The voice that warbly croaks his name is rough and severely underused - along with being so very very familiar.
It's atleast his tenth wind of the day but, Zack shoves up off the ground onto aching legs. Turns around and almost bursts into tears.
Cloud's standing only a few feet away from him, a gun in his trembling hands, looking terrified and sick to his stomach.
The weapon drops out of his loose grip.
Zack flies.
He slams into Cloud, with more force than he'd meant to, folding the younger man in his arms. Clinging to him desperately. Raking fingers through feathery soft hair as Cloud shook.
"It's ok. It's ok." Zack soothed and he's really not sure if he's talking to Cloud or himself at this point but, he didn't care. Cloud's awake and their pursuers are dead. They could figure it all out from there.