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Who: Cloud Strife and Zack Fair
What: NOW WE FITE
When: Just after Cloud turns.
Where: Zack's house, #34
Summary: AIM log; Cloud and Zack fight, someone dies.
Rating: PG-13 for mouth and character death.
Warnings: Character death.





First Tsurugi already in hand, Cloud stalked his way over to Zack's house, brushing past the nameless people in the town. They would all die soon enough, but for now...he had a much, much larger fish to fry. Zack's death would not only solve one of his potential problems -despite what he'd said, Cloud knew Zack was formidable and posed a threat- but would serve as a statement to the populace of Luceti.

Cloud was not fucking around.

It didn't take him long to approach Zack's house, and he debated between simply cutting through the house and actually calling Zack out. If he cut through, he might get lucky and kill Aerith, too. She was a threat...not to him, but to Mother, so naturally she would have to die as well.

Zack had a sort of sixth sense when Cloud was involved. The kid got into enough trouble that such a thing was necessary. This time, it seemed, he was bringing trouble with him, however.

He slung the Buster Sword onto his back and strode outside before Cloud could decide, shutting and locking it behind him before facing his once-friend, hands on his hips. "So you decided to come after all? You're still pretty bold, Spike."

There wasn't a lot of time to waste; Cloud's hand tightened around the hilt of his broadsword, the leather of his gloves squeaking as he cast a glare of utter loathing in Zack's direction. "Bold doesn't even begin to describe it." And that was all the warning Zack had before Cloud charged and swung First Tsurugi down with the intent of cleaving his skull in two.

Zack laughed - the sound was quiet and brief, for the next second Cloud was up and moving. Zack rolled aside, hand lifting to grip the hilt of the Buster and swing it loose, aiming for Cloud's legs.

This would be fun.

Using the leverage of First Tsurugi now buried into the ground Cloud kicked off of the turf, Buster Sword gliding neatly where his knees had been moments before. His legs swung in an arc and he planted his feet, wrenching his blade from the ground and bringing it up into a diagonal strike, right for Zack's neck.

Zack let the momentum from his missed strike carry him forward, sliding past Cloud's attack by the skin of his teeth, almost literally. The blade sliced off a few of his hairs in the process, and he spun around, lashing out with a quick roundhouse, the Buster buried into the ground to help his balance.

Cloud hissed through gritted teeth as his attack missed and quickly lifted up an arm to block Zack's kick with his bicep and forearm.

...ow. That stung, although it was preferable to taking the kick to the head. Cloud took advantage of Zack's awkward position and thrust First Tsurugi right at his belly.

"Whoa!" Zack's eyes widened and he dropped his hold on the Buster, letting himself fall onto his back as Cloud's sword tore through the air right above his head. Without hesitation he rolled backwards, supporting himself on both hands and kicking upwards, intent on knocking the sword into the air. He just needed an extra second to get his sword back.

Zack's kick landed right on, and First Tsurugi was flung backwards out of Cloud's grasp. Luckily, the kick also jarred Second Tsurugi's release, and with a quiet click the blade came loose. Snatching it in his left hand as First Tsurugi spun through the air, flashing behind him, Cloud spun Second to get a better grip and turned, moving to slash Zack but letting go of the blade in his left hand at the last moment to snatch it up with his right. The change of hands in mid-swing delayed the attack somewhat and adjusted the angle of approach, so perhaps he could catch Zack unawares.

What the-- two swords?! Zack's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He scrambled a bit, grabbing the Buster and twisting it in the ground, matching the angle of Cloud's second attack. With another twist the blade came free, shooting a rain of dirt towards Cloud's face. He didn't stop there, lunging forward with the intent to slam the hilt against Cloud's head. Hopefully that would knock the idiot out for a while.

Then again, it was Cloud.

Grains of soil flecked into Cloud's eyes and he hissed, recoiling. There was a sound and a rush of air from his side and instinctively Cloud moved, although not well enough. The blow intended for his temple scraped his cheek, and had he not pushed backwards the resulting motion of the Buster Sword would have sliced his face open. Not exactly good.

Cloud rubbed at his eyes as they watered, and a fuzzy image of Zack played teased his vision before he had to close them again. Well, shit.

The advantage was his. Zack didn't particularly want to kill Cloud, but he wasn't too inclined to leave the guy unharmed, either. So without a second thought he twisted the sword in his grip and swung with as much force as he could muster, aiming for Cloud's side, using the flat of his blade.

Cloud tensed, and listened as the wind whistled with the unmistakable sound of a blade cutting air. His arms moving before he'd even told them to, Cloud brought up Second Tsurugi and braced the dull edge with his wrist, the blade ringing with the sound of metal clashing metal. His fingers on the hit and opposite wrist stung, but he still twisted his sword in hopes of dislodging Zack's, or at least loosening his grip long enough for Cloud to either rub his eyes free of the dirt or retrieve First Tsurugi, wherever it lay.

Zack hissed in pain as the Buster suddenly twisted in his grasp, and he let it drop down to free it from the connection against Cloud's sword. He backstepped, letting the weight settle on his arm a little, and cursed his mistake. He'd have to do better than that if he wanted to win this fight.

Feeling Zack's retreat rather than seeing it, Cloud kicked back and landed a few feet away, rubbing quickly at his eyes and blinking. The tears were managing to push the dirt out, but it was still painful.

Oh look. First Tsurugi was just there at his side. Snatching it up before closing his eyes again, Cloud snapped the blades together and decided to at least throw out a few taunts while he was there. "So, you said you wanted to see it; First Tsurugi. Pretty useful, isn't it?"

Zack lifted his head, eyeing the blade Cloud was holding once more. He considered ignoring the taunt, then shrugged it off and called back, "Useful, yeah. I won't let you surprise me like that again, though. You're not the first person to come after me with two blades."

He shifted his feet in the dirt and lifted the Buster Sword again, ready for the second round. He wasn't done yet, not a chance.

Cloud pondered his options, the familiar weight of First Tsurugi comfortable in his hands as he debated. His vision was poor, but his hearing was good. Zack was too skilled of an opponent to fight with just that, though, so Cloud had to find a way to either stall Zack long enough to get his vision back, or wound Zack badly enough so that it wouldn't matter.

Option two was looking pretty good. Lifting up First Tsurugi like a club, Cloud could feel the energy moving from his arm to surround the sword -although he couldn't see the tell-tale blue glow- and brought it down swiftly, three slashes indicating the Limit Break as it tore through the ground towards Zack.

Oh shit. Should've seen that one coming. Zack mumbled a curse and darted around, dodging two of the slashes and barely catching the third against his sword. He skidded backwards, the force of the energy pushing him through the dirt, though he somehow managed to stay on his feet. The blade was hot and steaming as the blue energy faded away, but it was still intact. Good.

"That was my attack, you know," he grumbled, shooting Cloud an annoyed look.

"Mine now. You're dead...or you're supposed to be. Maybe I'll fix that for you." Cloud blinked again; good, vision was coming back. Time to up the ante. Releasing the other Tsurugis would be useless now, as he had only two hands and was right-handed...besides that, Cloud wanted to save it as his trump card. So instead he launched himself towards Zack and twisted his wrist; another thrust towards Zack's side, but his thumb rested on the release trigger just in case.

Zack snorted faintly, Buster rising a bit further. The simplicity of the attack and the threat that went with it were enough to bore him. He didn't block the attack, angling his sword to deflect First Tsurugi upwards. The buster lacked a hand guard, but the size of the sword alone was usually enough to block an attack.

First Tsurugi flew easily from his hands; probably because Cloud was barely holding onto it, and also because it was considerably lighter. Cloud had flicked the release and out dropped Second and Third Tsurugi, and he ducked to pluck the blades from the air before making a criss-cross slash for Zack's torso.

Oh for the love of Shiva-

That was pretty much all he had time to think before two blades slashed rather mercilessly across his cross, forcing a pained cry from his lips and causing him to stagger backwards. Blood soaked through his clothes, and it took more effort than he liked to admit to stay on his feet. Shit, this wasn't good.

"Time out," he muttered, his tone half-joking. This wasn't funny anymore.

Cloud slowly straightened, Second and Third Tsurugis at his side as he fixed Zack with a cold glare. Blood edged the swords, lining them like red ribbon, and he motioned lazily to Zack with one of them. "Need to catch your breath?" It was arrogant...but Cloud had this, now. And he knew it.

"Just a little," Zack tossed back, letting the Buster sink a few inches into the dirt to gain more support, one hand lifting to touch his chest. The wounds stung, and while they weren't life-threatening, they would slow him down. He needed more options.

Jabbing Second Tsurugi into the ground, Cloud turned and and scooped up First Tsurugi before clicking the Third back into place. Hefting Second back into his hand, Cloud cast another searching, emotionless gaze towards Zack, flipping the swords idly to find the best grip as he waited for the brunnette to either strike or come to a decision. If he wanted to continue, then Cloud was up for it. If he didn't want to fight any longer...

Well. That just simplified things, then.

Zack eyed Cloud right back, breathing hard. He very nearly took a step forward to attack and hopefully catch Cloud off guard somehow, but-

... but...

...what was he -doing-?!

His gaze suddenly cleared, and he took a step back, bloody hand lifting to his forehead. "C... Cloud... Cloud, hold on... we shouldn't be fighting...!"

"You're a little slow on the uptake," Cloud hissed, clicking Second back into First and twirling it before hooking it just over his shoulder. "Just a minute ago you were pretty gung ho about ending this."

Zack clenched his teeth, nodding slowly. "I was trying to end it in the wrong way. Listen, Spike, if we keep this up we'll kill each other. It's not worth it." He smiled faintly, gaze pleading. "We're friends, right?"

Pausing, Cloud bowed his head. "...you're right. If this keeps going...someone's going to die."

His hand clenched around First Tsurugi as it glowed a shocking blue, and his eyes flashed cat-slit pupils as he kicked off the ground and into the air. Swinging the blade before him, a series of clicks sounded and a rough grinding sound harked the sword spliting into seven separate blades, which situated themselves neatly around Zack. Not a milisecond later, Cloud was moving amongst them, snatching them from the air before driving into Zack to strike with each one until finally he was standing above him with the last.

It was been surprisingly quick. Zack hadn't expected that, when the sudden glow had sent a collection of swords downwards to surround him. He felt a little honoured, being witness to an attack he'd never seen Cloud perform, a fantastic attack that rivaled Sephiroth's famed special attack. These really were special - the sort of attacks you see if you're really, really lucky.

Or unlucky, if you happen to be the target.

There was no pain. That was the nicest thing about it. He remembered dying before - how the cold air bit at lungs too riddled with holes to breathe, how a single step was nearly enough to make his leg buckle, how he couldn't lift his sword because it hurt too damned bad to grip it. He remembered it all, every tear, every cut, every bullet and shrapnel shard. All of it had hurt in the end.

This? It was gentle. Peaceful, almost. So it hardly took any effort to smile as he fell, the Buster dropping from limp fingers, the ground rising up to meet him.

"... Spike..."

Cold eyes witnessed Zack's fall, and he kicked the Buster away from Zack's hand just in case it was a bluff. No sense in giving Zack the opportunity to-

Something sharp snapped in his mind and Cloud flinched as the sensation drove him to his knees; he gripped the side of his head, breathing harsh, and First Tsurugi dropped to the ground to strike against the Buster with a loud clang. There was a moment of vertigo, and Cloud blinked, dazed and detached, Zack's blood soaking the knees of his pants as he sat back on his heels. Zack was bleeding.

...what was going on...?

And that familiar rush of returning memory struck Cloud; something gripped his chest with a hand of steel, and he struggled to breathe as his eyes widened, hands lighting tremblingly on Zack's shoulders. He'd done this. He'd hurt Zack, struck him, fought him. He'd said terrible things to the others- Denzel, Stella-

Oh God Simon...! Cloud's hands gripped Zack's shoulders as he fought to keep his wits about him, and he turned the man over, voice smaller and more fragile than he'd have liked. "Z-....Zack...?"

Zack hissed faintly, pain gripping his voice, and he shuddered in Cloud's arms. A slow blink, and he managed to look up, eyes hazy as he watched his friend. ... His friend? Yeah.

It was Cloud again.

"Dammit, Spike..." he muttered, tilting his head back to get a bit more air in his lungs, "We really... gotta stop doing this. I can't keep dying to knock you back to your senses..."

Okay, it was definitely starting to hurt now.

"Zack..." Cloud's vision blurred, and his fingers shook as they hovered over Zack's ragged mess of a torso. He recognized those slashes. Those were from his attack. He'd done this...!

"Don't...please..." And Cloud found himself unable to form words any longer, pulling Zack up higher in an effort to help him breathe. Fighting to quell his shaking, Cloud attempted to peel Zack's shirt away, tearing at the fabric of his own and pressing it against the wound to slow the bleeding. It was useless, and he knew it, but Zack was dying again, he was dying again and again it was all Cloud's fault...he'd killed Zack...!

Zack clenched his teeth, weakly lifting a blood hand to grip Cloud's. Spike was trying to save him, and while he appreciated the gesture, he knew a mortal wound when he saw one. ...And felt one, for that matter. Cloud had given him at least a dozen. "Kinda nostalgic, huh," he murmured, briefly closing his eyes. "Somebody's gotta make it rain... and we'll..."

He coughed then, and let his words filter off, trying again a moment later. "Listen, Spike, just... it's okay. Lots of people have... died here. Even Seph. So... I'll be back, alright...?"

"I hurt you...! I-!" Cloud was nearly hysterical, clutching at Zack's hand, and he grit his teeth as he shook his head, hard. "Simon-! Wh-what do I do, Zack-?!" Cloud had to be stopped, he had to do something before he caused any more damage. He'd essentially killed Zack...he could hurt someone else.

Zack shivered, gulping for air and giving Cloud's hand an encouraging squeeze. "Stay... away from people. That's all you can do... till this wears off..." He smiled faintly, eyes at half-mast. "Simon'll be okay. Denzel, too. They're... good kids... smart kids... be sure to... make it up to them."

It was getting harder to speak now, and from experience he knew what that meant. He'd hold on as long as he could, though, because Spike needed him, and he'd be damned if he'd give up when Spike needed him.

Cloud swallowed; something stuck in his throat, and he coughed a bit, the sound coming out almost as a half-sob. His hand was tight on Zack's shoulder, despite the fact it was slick with blood, and he took a shuddering breath as he stared down at Zack and remembered. It had been pouring rain, he'd crawled over...Zack handed him his dreams, his pride as a SOLDIER. He'd accepted them, promised he wouldn't forget, that he'd keep Zack alive in his memories.

...it was time to stop relying on Zack. Cloud steeled himself -he could grieve later, hate himself later- and he sucked in a breath before nodding. "You...have to come back. ...I can't forgive myself if you don't come back."

Zack's smile broadened a fraction, fingers loosening a little in Cloud's grasp. "You and forgiveness," he muttered, chuckling hoarsely. "This'll pass. You just give me a few days... I'll be back to annoying the hell out of you... and you'll wonder why you even wanted me back."

A joke, of course. He couldn't help but laugh, joke, tease. It was his way. And they were friends. Right. Not even a question anymore.

"Look after my girl?" he whispered, the smile fading from his lips. "When... you're not a complete headcase...?"

Cloud's shoulders shook and he bowed his head, nodding. Clutching Zack's hand tighter in response to his loosening grip, he composed himself and drew back his sobs. "I p-promise. I'll beat this s-somehow and...and I'll watch out for Aerith." It was a hefty promise to make...the Malnosso weren't push overs, and if they decided they wanted Aerith then Cloud wasn't sure if he could stop them. But Goddammit...he'd die trying.

Not that Aerith would want to have anything to do with him after this.

Cloud was crying. Why did he always have to cry? It made him feel so damn guilty for dying. Zack sighed softly, forcing his other hand to lift, very lightly brushing his fingers over Cloud's cheek. "She'll understand," he mused, somehow knowing what Cloud was thinking. He usually did. Sixth sense, damned if he could help it. Poor kid had enough weight on his shoulders, and he hated to dump more on him, but maybe if it was just a few days...

"Don't die," he said softly, expression urgent, insistent. More firm than it had ever been. "You watch yourself... watch what you do... and... don't die. You gotta be here when I come back..."

Cloud screwed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth as his breath hitched, shoulders jerking each time. Damn it, damn it. It only took a moment, and Cloud looked down at Zack again, eyes somber and voice hoarse. "...I'll be here." And he would. There would be no running away from what he'd done, no forgetting. Cloud could acknowledge that he hadn't intentionally harmed anyone...but Simon was hurt, and Zack was dying from his hand. He had a lot to make up for, and so very little time to do it in.

Zack needed him to be strong. And if there was one thing Cloud had learned to do for the past eight years, it was how to soldier on.

"... That's my Spike," Zack grinned, forcing his hand up to give the blond's hair a good ruffle before he let it fall limp to the ground again. He stretched it out, somehow curling it around the Buster's hilt, and dragged it forward, sliding it between them.

"I'm not giving it to you this time," he muttered, breath quickening, the colour starting to drain out of his eyes, skin steadily growing pale. Maybe blood would be good for Aerith's garden. ... Ha ha. "Just don't let it rust or anything, a-alright... Angeal's here now... he'd kill me." ... Ha ha. Again. Oh god it hurt.

All over again, it was happening again. Cloud focused himself on the present and took the Buster Sword in one hand, the other still around Zack's shoulders, and slipped it into First Tsurugi's holster at the small of his back without hesitation. "You'll be back in a few days." Cloud's voice was sure and steady -somehow- and he reached down to draw Zack against him, not tightly enough to aggravate his wounds, but...well, a hug is a hug. It took a hell of a lot of willpower not to clutch Zack for all he was worth, and Cloud remained still, glad that Zack couldn't see his face. He couldn't hold them back anyways, and tears had always upset Zack.

The hug surprised him, but it was far from unwelcome. Cloud had never been the touchy-feely type, certainly not to the extent that Zack was. It was kind of a relief, to see Cloud being so close. He was even being gentle about it.

Slowly, his hand rose one last time to curve around Cloud's back, returning the embrace with what little strength he had left. "Don't blame yourself."

It was a tall order. Probably the worst one yet. But it was the most important.

That wasn't a promise Cloud could make. "I-...I'll try." It was the best he could do. He couldn't lie to Zack, not now -not ever, but God not now- and his fingers fisted in the back to Zack's shirt. Zack was fading...he was already colder. Panic seized Cloud's chest and he struggled against it, because Zack would be back in a few days, he would-!

Heh, typical Cloud. Zack let his eyes shut, feeling his strength slip away more and more as each second passed.

"Don't forget me, eh?" he whispered. One last tease, and then his grip faltered, hand sliding free from Cloud's back, and he was gone.

Cloud clutched at Zack, felt his chest still. Felt his energy, his very being, slip away and leave his body behind. Felt him die. Again.

He shuddered and buried his face against Zack's shoulder to muffle a scream.