Disclaimer: Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft and various other interested parties, not me. I'm not making any money from this, and no infringement of copyright is intended. This is a work of fandom, intended as appreciation of the original work.

Chapter 8

Triage, Cloud had decided, was a dirty word. Oh, he understood the reasoning behind the concept and even agreed with it in theory. The problem was, there was nothing theoretical about watching his best friend die by inches while the people who could have saved him did nothing.

Nobody had expected the kind of debilitating casualties they'd received. Cloud's patrol was the first to be attacked, but not the last. Even knowing there was a possibility of facing monsters, troops were still being cut down left and right. The only medics they'd brought along were the ones permanently attached to the companies, and two people were not nearly enough to handle the sudden influx of wounded and dying.

Their limited supply of potions was being hoarded against future emergencies, and the medics only had so much energy to spend on Restore and Revive spells. The SOLDIERs took precedence, of course, and after that the medics concentrated on the people with more minor injuries who could be quickly healed and put back out in the field. Serious injuries were treated with bandages and sutures, and left to heal on their own.

At least the wolf bite on his thigh had been serious enough to put Cloud firmly in the latter category as well, so he was free to sit by Zack's bed and soothe the feverish boy as best he could. Infection had set in quickly; the multiple stabbing wounds Zack had taken from the swarm of bats had been exacerbated by carrying Cloud on his back for hours. The shock of losing so much blood hadn't helped, either.

Three days later he still hadn't woken up, though he'd opened his eyes a few times. Cloud had sat by him night and day, dozing in the uncomfortable chair next to his bed, making sure Zack's bandages were changed regularly and bathing his face in cold water.

In the beginning, the medics who had occasionally come to check up on them had been hopeful. Each time they came, though, as Zack slipped farther and farther into delirium, their estimates for his recovery had dropped. The last time, the doctor hadn't even looked at the wounds, just silently shaking his head and walking away when he saw the state Zack was in.

Cloud was furious, but none of his arguments or pleas had any effect on the exhausted medics. Zack was beyond the point where a phoenix down or first level Life spell would help him, and even if the medics had wanted to cast anything higher they simply didn't have the energy for it. Their answer was the same every time Cloud begged them to do something: "Reinforcements are on the way. If he survives until then, maybe they'll be able to help."

It was the 'surviving until then' part that Cloud was starting to worry about. Zack was getting worse, not better. His breathing was harsh and his pulse was fast and erratic. His skin was hot and tight with fever, but he wasn't sweating at all and Cloud thought that was a bad sign.

"Don't you dare die on me, Zack," he whispered, leaning over as he wiped the older boy's face with the cool cloth once more. "Don't you dare. How am I supposed to watch your back if you're dead, huh? If you die I'll... I'll... I'll find a way to turn you into a ghost and make you haunt me, you hear me? No afterlife for you. You'll be stuck here with me forever. I'm not letting you go."

He rested his forehead against the older boy's, and when he felt warm moisture there he thought for a joyous moment that Zack's fever had finally broken enough for him to start sweating.

Then he realized it was just his own tears, though he hadn't been aware that he was crying until he felt them. Biting back a sob, Cloud drew a deep breath and sat up again. Pity wasn't going to get him anywhere, and grief wasn't appropriate. Zack needed him to be the strong one right now, and Cloud would be damned before he'd fail his friend in this.

Turning, he wrung out the cloth again, noting absently that he needed to get more ice soon. The muggy heat of the Mideel jungle made it hard to keep anything cool for long, and probably wasn't helping Zack at all. At least they'd found some kind of smoking incense to put down at the doors of the infirmary tent, to help keep out all the insects.

"I'm not letting you go," he said again more firmly, drawing the cool cloth over Zack's face once more. "Not now. Not when we just fixed things. I'll find a way."

"So... cute..." The harsh whisper was so soft Cloud almost thought he'd imagined it, but when he jerked his startled gaze up he found Zack's eyes cracked open, his parched lips tilted in the barest hint of a smile. The fever made his eyes bright enough to rival any SOLDIER's, but unlike the other times he'd opened them he seemed to actually be lucid.

"Zack!" Jumping out of his seat in excitement, Cloud forgot about his own injury and nearly fell on the other boy when his leg buckled under him. In his flailing and hopping attempts to stay upright he managed to knock the basin of water over, drenching a section of the bed and pillow and splashing Zack. "Oh crap, I'm sorry! You're awake! Are you really awake this time?"

"S'okay," Zack says, licking his lips where some of the water had landed. His voice was raspy and hoarse, nothing like his usual smooth tones. "Was thirsty. How long?"

"Three days," Cloud replied, grabbing the basin again. "Hang on, I'm going to get you more water, I'll be right back."

He ran for the water, heedless of anyone who might be in his way. His bad leg shrieked protests at the abuse, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it as best he could. Zack was more important, he could worry about his own injury later.

Running on the way back would only have spilled the water everywhere, but Cloud hurried as much as he could. Even so by the time he returned Zack's eyes had closed again, and Cloud panicked. "Zack? Zack, please, wake up. Please."

"So tired," Zack whispered, forcing his eyes open again. Each breath he took was an obvious effort, and speaking was almost more than he could manage. "Water?"

"I brought it. Here, let me help you sit up a little." Sitting on the bed by Zack's head, Cloud set the basin down and worked one arm under the other boy's shoulders, lifting him at an angle. Dipping the cloth in the water, Cloud brought it over to Zack's face and let it trickle into his mouth. "Not too much. Don't want you to choke on it. How's that? Better?"

"Cute," Zack said again, closing his eyes but still smiling slightly. Cloud choked on an hysterical laugh.

"That's what you said right before the last time you kissed me," he blurted out without thinking. "Are you going to do it again?" Then he remembered that he wasn't sure if that was a dream or not, and held his breath.

To his surprise, Zack winced faintly. "Thought you'd... forgotten. Sorry."

So it had been real. Cloud felt something warm twist in his chest, but it was almost buried by the massive knot of worry and panic. "Don't be sorry, be better!" he chided gruffly. "We'll talk about it when you're well. It's... it's not like I minded," he admitted with a blush. Surely if Zack had been the one to initiate the kiss in the first place, he wouldn't freak out that Cloud hadn't been disgusted?

Zack said nothing, turning his head slightly to nuzzle into Cloud's shoulder. His breathing seemed to be getting even more laboured, and Cloud was starting to feel really scared. "You'll be okay," he said, but it was more of a plea than a reassurance. "You're awake now, that means you're getting better. Your fever will break soon, and the new medics will come and they'll fix you right up."

"Tired," Zack repeated with a sigh. Cloud's throat closed around any other words he might have wanted to say, and he must have tensed because Zack struggled to open his eyes again. From somewhere the older boy dredged up a reserve of energy, and his smile was more real this time. "Lemme sleep. Don't worry. It'll be okay."

Swallowing, Cloud nodded and gently laid Zack down again. He hadn't missed the fact that his friend hadn't said 'I'll be okay'. Zack never lied if he could help it... and they both knew it would have been a lie. He couldn't hang on like this much longer.

"Rest," Cloud ordered him softly. He dipped the cloth once more and wrung it out, folding it and draping it over Zack's brow. "Everything will be all right."

This time his voice held the conviction he hadn't managed to put into it before, and his eyes blazed with determination. Anyone from the recruiting office where he'd signed on would have recognized his expression; it was the same stubborn look that had been on his face every time they threatened to bodily remove him from the doorway.

Unfortunately for the alpha company medic, he didn't know Cloud well enough to know what that expression meant. When he looked up to see the determined young trooper bearing down on him in the centre of the camp, he just sighed and shook his head. "Look, I've told you, there's nothing we can do. You'll just have to... erk!"

His words trailed off in a strangled squawk as Cloud grabbed him by the front of his lab coat and jerked him half off his feet. "Then find something you can do, or so help me I'm going to make your life a living hell!" Cloud growled. He didn't yell, but the intensity in his voice was fearsome. "He's dying! You're not even making any effort to help him without magic any more!"

"Limited resources," the medic started, but he was cut off as Cloud shook him.

"Don't give me that!" Fierce blue eyes glared at the man. Cloud should have looked ridiculous, a scrawny blonde kid a good three inches shorter than the man he was threatening, but he didn't. "If you can't help him, then give me the damn materia and let me cast the spell myself!"

Prying at Cloud's hand with both of his, the medic tried to get free. "You can't! You're not anywhere near a high enough level, you don't have that much energy. You'd kill yourself trying!"

"I. Don't. Care," Cloud gritted out around clenched teeth. "I won't let him die! Now give me the materia, or..."

"What is going on here?" The deep voice broke into Cloud's rant unexpectedly, and he whirled on the person interrupting.

"You stay out of it!" he snarled, not caring if it might be a superior officer he was snapping at.

That is, he didn't care until he actually registered which superior officer was standing in front of him. Long black leather coat, shimmering silver hair, and vivid green eyes all added up to only one person. "S-sephiroth!" Cloud squeaked, horrified. Then, realizing he'd just addressed the general by name, he released the medic and snapped to attention, saluting. "I, uh, that is... sir!"

This time the look the general was giving him was more bemused than anything else. "Have we met, private? You look familiar."

Swallowing, Cloud managed to force the words around the knot in his chest. "The paint guns, sir." By now a crowd of curious troopers and SOLDIERs had gathered around them, and most of them looked thoroughly bewildered by this pronouncement. A few from B platoon knew the story of Zack and Cloud's final exam, and started spreading it around gleefully.

Once again Cloud was privileged to see Sephiroth's lips quirk in a faint smile. "Ah yes, of course. How remiss of me to forget. And where is your taller shadow? I do recall making certain you would be assigned to the same unit. Loyalty such as you showed each other should be encouraged."

Under other circumstances Cloud would have been stunned by the knowledge that Sephiroth himself had arranged for he and Zack to be assigned together. As it was, his words only served as a sharp reminder of why Cloud was out here in the first place, instead of back in the infirmary tent by his friend's side. "Zack!" he exclaimed, horrified to have been distracted even for a moment.

Rounding on the hapless medic again, he forgot to be worried about protocol in front of the general. "You! You said when the reinforcements got here they'd fix him! So go help him!"

"They... they didn't bring any medics with them," the man stammered, backing up nervously. "We can't..."

"Then give me the materia and let me do it myself!" Cloud demanded furiously. His anger was actually a very thin veneer over the fear that made his heart pound in his chest. No medics? No extra help? He'd been hoping if he could manage to cast even a low-level Cure or Life spell, it would be enough to let Zack hang on until help got there, but there was no help?

"Stand down, private." The words and the heavy hand on his shoulder reminded Cloud that he was threatening a superior officer right in front of General Sephiroth himself, but the general's tone wasn't rebuking. Glancing over his shoulder with wide eyes he saw that Sephiroth was frowning, but not at him. "There was no request for extra medics along with the request for reinforcements," the general said to the medic, and now there was a rebuke in his voice.

"Sir!" Stiffly, the man drew himself up into a salute. "We assumed there would be more medics and supplies arriving with the additional units, sir, and that would have been enough to handle most of the casualties."

"Firstly, there is no acceptable reason for any casualties to die other than those killed immediately on the field," Sephiroth said, his voice gone deep and menacing. Cloud shivered, and felt the hand on his shoulder tighten in what he thought might have been meant as a gesture of reassurance. "We have the resources and ability to heal almost anything that can be inflicted in a battle. If you lack sufficient resources, then you should have requested more, not assumed there would be enough sent to help 'most' people."

"Y-yes sir," the medic stammered, clearly fearing for his job.

"Secondly, SOLDIER units never have medics attached to them," Sephiroth went on, and Cloud's heart sank. So it was true, there was no help. "We carry our own healing materia and have more than enough power to use them. That does not mean, however, that it is acceptable for SOLDIERs to be expected to exhaust themselves before a battle healing other troopers."

Unable to stay silent, Cloud burst out, "But then... you're just going to let him die?" And all the others, who had been hurt badly enough to be shoved off to the side until later?

"Certainly not." Now the frown was directed at him, and Cloud had to fight not to cringe. Lifting his hand from the boy's shoulder, Sephiroth started pointing at various SOLDIERs Cloud didn't recognize and snapping orders. "Andrew. Secure the perimeter, set up guards and make sure any patrols out there now get pulled back in. I don't want anybody leaving the area of the camp or the town except on my say-so. Zeke, organize a patrol for around the town, they might become a target. Jeremy, I want a list of all the wounded, listed in order from most badly hurt to least. I don't want to miss anyone. Everyone else, equip your healing materia and get to work. Our foray after the enemy will have to be delayed until tomorrow."

Glancing down at Cloud, Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Well? Where is your friend?"

Almost giddy with relief, Cloud saluted and headed for the tent. "This way, sir! Thank you sir, thank you so much, I've been so worried and I did everything I could for him but I don't have any medical training and he's been so sick and it's all my fault..."

His breath and his leg gave out on him at the same moment, and he stumbled badly. Sephiroth caught him by the arm, steadying him until he could stand again. Glancing down, Cloud saw the bandage around his thigh was slowly seeping blood again. He must have broken the stitches at some point in all his running around today. He wasn't even supposed to be standing on it, except to get to and from the latrine.

"You're injured as well," Sephiroth noted coolly. Cloud gulped and nodded, catching his breath.

"Yes, sir. Zack carried me all the way back to camp, the stupid idiot didn't even tell me he was wounded, I could have at least bound up the injuries so he wouldn't have lost so much blood! And then they got infected, and nobody would help, and now he's having trouble just breathing..."

Horrified, he realized he was crying again. Crying and babbling in front of Sephiroth, of all people. He'd never felt more like a kid playing at being a trooper than he did right then. Gulping back a sob, he scrubbed at his face frantically. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just... I've been so worried..."

"Your concern reflects well on you, private," Sephiroth said. Cloud heard the murmur of a spell, and once again felt that powerful energy rush over him. The persistent throbbing ache in his leg vanished, along with all the other smaller aches from his other partially-treated wounds. "There. Now that you can move more quickly, take me to him."

Grateful beyond anything mere words could express, Cloud nodded and rushed off to the tent. He led the general through the maze of cots that had been set up and sheets that had been hung to give a modicum of privacy, until they reached Zack's area at the back. "Zack!" he exclaimed, hurrying to his friend's side. "Zack, look, Sephiroth is here, and he's going to help... Zack? Zack!"

The dark-haired boy had tossed his head fitfully in the grip of the fever, causing the cloth compress to slide down onto the pillow. His breathing was harsh and laboured, and he showed no sign of waking again at the sound of Cloud's voice.

"Allow me, private," Sephiroth said, stepping up. Cloud backed away to give him space, and watched in awe as the general stretched a hand out over Zack's still form. This time he could see the energy of the spell gathering, then flowing out from the bracer over the general's hand and down over Zack's body. He recognized the trigger words for the second level Life spell, and held his breath. If this didn't work, it would mean Zack was too far gone for magic to help him, and it would only be a matter of time.

Please, please let it work, Cloud prayed silently, fisting his hands at the side so tightly his nails drew blood. Please!

For a horrible moment after the spell had faded, Cloud thought it had failed. Then Zack gasped and opened his eyes, staring up with a dazed expression on his face. "What the hell?" Catching sight of Sephiroth, his training overcame his confusion and he scrambled up to a sitting position, snapping a salute. "General Sephiroth, sir!"

"Once again I find myself unable to tell you 'as you were'," Sephiroth said, his mouth curving faintly again. "This is a bad habit to fall into, private. You should take more care."

"I'll do my best, sir," Zack said, dropping the salute. "Uh... may I ask what happened?" He glanced past the tall man, and saw Cloud hovering off to one side. "Cloud! Are you all right?"

"Stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself for once!" Cloud chided him, feeling so relieved he thought his heart might burst. He gave Zack a somewhat watery scowl. "You should have told me you were injured!"

"I didn't think the wounds were that bad," Zack admitted sheepishly. "And then by the time I realized they were, I didn't want to worry you. Uh, I guess I owe you a thank you, general?"

"Save it," the general waved him off. "You should have been tended to long before I got here. And I will be having words with your commanding officer about that. Now, since you are both healed, it would be useful if you would make yourselves available to help the rest of your units."

"Yes sir!" they chorused, saluting again. He nodded at them, and moved to go to the next injured trooper, leaving them alone in the marginal privacy of Zack's area.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Cloud said fiercely, keeping his voice low but unable to keep all the fear of the last few days out of his tone.

"I'm sorry," Zack said, just as softly but equally fervently. "For all of it, I'm sorry. Look, let's just forget everything and start again, okay? I want things back the way they were as bad as you do. I've missed you, kid."

Cloud hesitated, but finally nodded. He thought there were issues between them now that they probably ought to deal with... but that would mean talking about it, and that still wasn't something he really wanted to do.

Zack surprised him by bouncing to his feet and capturing Cloud in a headlock before he could think to dodge; intellectually he knew the spell would have healed Zack completely, but experiencing it was another matter. He squirmed, protesting the vigorous ruffling Zack gave his hair, but secretly revelling in the familiar feeling. As long as things could go back to normal, nothing else mattered.

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