Loves Fatal Cross Roads

Friday Night

Cloud

Cloud's eyes fluttered open to the sterile white of a hospital room, the sharp smell of disinfectant hitting him as he blinked against the blinding lights above. His head felt heavy, throbbing in sync with his pulse, and there was an unfamiliar stiffness in his body. Groaning, he shifted, the cool sheets rustling beneath him.

"Cloud," a soft voice called from beside him. "You're awake!" Aerith sat in a chair next to his bed, her face pale and eyes rimmed with red as if she'd been crying. She managed a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Aerith, wha-"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Tifa said as she brushed past the long hospital curtains. He dares not look up, avoiding the brutal lights. "Cloud?"

"I know my name." He says more irritably than intended. Tifa doesn't let that deter her; she leans over him in the hospital bed. Her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red, too.

Tifa speaks slowly, "Sorry, it's just...we're so happy you're okay."

The constant throbbing on the right side of his head and the fact that he was in a hospital bed made him consider he was not in the slightest okay. Cloud slowly eased his arms forward, shifting his weight to sit up only to be met with a sharp pain in his rib. He winced and his body recoiled, forcing him onto his back.

He groaned, "What the hell happened?"

Aerith stood beside him, "At the party...do you remember anything at the party last night?"

"Last night?" His voice rasped. His mouth was dry as if he hadn't used it in days.

"Its Sunday afternoon, Cloud," Tifa explained. "The party was Friday night, after the game."

"I remember the game--sort of." He blinks, struggling to focus. Fragmented images of a bright stadium, crowds roaring, sweat beading down his forehead, and Zack slamming their helmets together in excitement which reminds him of the pain in his head. Zack.

"What happened at the party?" Cloud looked between them. "Where's...Zack?"

"Oh, Cloud." Tifa gasps.

"So, you don't remember?" Aerith's voice cracks, tears well in her eyes. "He's...he's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" He leaned forward, discomfort and dread beginning to pull at his stomach.

"Cloud," Tifa brushes her hand across his. "Zack is dead."

~

Shinra University was in mourning after the loss of their football team's Captain. Tears of grief showered the campus as the students stood at the epicenter of the university. The quad was full of students, friends, faculty, and family as they mourned the loss of Zack Fair. The well-behaved student with a bright future and the skills of a true leader. And Cloud's closest friend. Cloud leaned on his right crutch, the weight of guilt ladened on his shoulders-and ribs. He doesn't even hear Dean Rufus as he addresses the audience. The dean's arms moved methodically, and his eyes were filled with passion. Cloud was sure he was encouraging the students to rise above challenges. But this challenge was beyond Cloud's control. He couldn't remember the events that transpired that night. He couldn't help with the capture of the perpetrator.

No matter what the police tried to ask, he couldn't recall the events that led to Zack's downfall. He winced, memories swirling in broken fragments-laughter, a scuffle, the sound of someone shouting Zack's name. But every time he tried to latch onto one, it slipped away like water through his fingers. Now the weight of his friend's death lay on his chest like a heavy stone. Aerith is crying beside him in Tifa's arms, the whimpers and sniffs only push the weight further.