Title: Blank Pages
Author: Doom Squirrel (Illiad_And_Oddity)
Word Count: ~4200
Characters: Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, Hadvar, Ralof
Pairings: None until later in the story.
Summary: Crossing the border into Skyrim when he did was the worst decision Zack Fair ever made... or maybe it was the best.

Well, I love Skyrim and FF7 so I combined them! I would talk more about what inspired this, but then I would give away future plot twists, so I'll keep my mouth shut for now. Here's hoping I get a response other than the overwhelming chirping of crickets.

Zack had never intended for this to be the way he would meet his end. He'd always hoped to be a hero, but it looked like he wouldn't even be able to save one person who needed him. Cloud... of all the rotten luck, why'd they have to be crossing the border so gods-damned close to a skirmish in Skyrim's civil war? It didn't matter that he wasn't with the Stormcloaks. Zack was a soldier, and looked like one, and had been carrying his sword – he could still see it on one of the other wagons. Empire probably wouldn't give it back to him, even if he could convince them he was innocent.

"You there. What's your name?" the soldier with the list asked.

"Zack Fair," Zack said, "And my friend is Cloud Strife. He's sick, so he won't be able to answer for himself."

He glanced over at Cloud, who was doing well today. He was at least able to stand on his own, though his eyes were still staring blindly at the day. He looked happy, in a blank and dazed sort of way. Whatever visions his fractured mind was showing him must have been pleasant for once. Good. Zack rather wished he was in Cloud's mind right now too, instead of out here.

"Captain, they're not on the list," the soldier said quietly to the officer standing next to him, "What should we do?"

"It doesn't matter," the captain barked harshly, "Send them to the block, too! We want this damned conflict over with!"

The soldier looked back at him sadly, "I'm sorry about this. I'll see that your remains are returned to your families."

"Please," Zack begged, "Just let Cloud go. Can't you see he's sick? Does he look like he could possibly be with the Stormcloaks?"

It was ironic, Zack thought, that he was making that argument when from what he knew, Cloud would have been more likely than most to be with the Stormcloaks. He'd been born and raised in Skyrim, and was a devout worshiper of Talos. He saw Ulfric Stormcloak as a great hero. And, with those bouts of inhuman strength he showed sometimes when the fog in his mind cleared, he would have been formidable in Ulfric's army. But he didn't look it. He was young and small and delicate, the kind of boy who seemed to awaken any woman's motherly side. Maybe even this harsh captain would be moved by him.

"Captain..."

"Enough, Hadvar. I gave an order!"

Zack was marched towards the block, and saw Cloud following with a vague look. Talos be with you, Cloud, Zack thought. At least if he had to die, he wouldn't have to know it was happening...

He barely paid attention as the priestess began their last rites. He had just wanted to take Cloud to the temple of Kynareth. Their healers were supposed to be unrivaled throughout the empire. Surely if anyone could help Cloud recover from what that damned mage had done to him, it would be them.

A Stormcloak walked up to the block, and knelt down, with enough time to snap one last insult at their captors before the headman's axe came down on him. Cloud flinched.

No, no, no... This was the worst possible time for Cloud to wake up. Let him live out his final few minutes in a pleasant daze. The soldier who had promised to return his remains to his family nudged him gently.

"You next," he said softly. Zack didn't exactly feel charitable towards the Imperials at the moment, but he did feel a bit of pity for the man, having to follow orders clearly didn't want to follow...

Zack walked slowly to the block and let himself be pushed to his knees. He turned his head to look back at Cloud and tried not to cry. He hoped... he hoped that they would go to the same place after death. Cloud's eyes seemed to clear as he watched.

"Zack!" Cloud yelled, his voice slurred.

Suddenly, the other prisoners were looking up. "What is that?" one of them yelled.

Several things happened all at once. Cloud came running forward with a feral scream, and slammed into the executioner with all his strength – which Zack knew was a surprising amount for such a little body. The executioner fell to the ground, and the ground shook with the force – he couldn't possibly be that big of a man. Then other people were yelling and screaming, and the air was filled with fire.

Zack struggled to his feet, "Cloud!" he called, his vision blurring from the sudden heat and smoke.

"You there!" someone yelled, one of the Stormcloaks who had been on the cart with him, "Both of you, hurry! The gods won't give us a second chance."

Zack located Cloud, who seemed confused, but blessedly alert, "Come on!"

Cloud followed him, and he followed the Stormcloak, as something overhead roared and more fire filled his vision. They made it to a tower, and the Stormcloak slammed the door shut behind them.

"Gods help us," a Stormcloak woman was saying "A dragon! A real, live dragon!"

"Zack," Cloud said quietly, pressing into his back, "Zack, what's going on?"

"Mother Mara bless," Zack said, "I don't know if you picked the best or worst time to come out of your daze, Cloud."

"We need to move," said another voice, deep and commanding. Zack looked to see Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak himself moving towards the stairs, "These towers aren't built to withstand something as big as a dragon attacking them..."

Was there really a dragon? Zack hadn't gotten a look in all the confusion.

"Zack... who's that?" Cloud asked.

"Not important right now, Cloudy," Zack said, "We just need to -"

He was cut off by the side of the tower suddenly breaking open. The dragon – oh gods, it really was a dragon, stuck its head inside and blew another great bout of flame. One man was unlucky enough to be standing in the line of fire and fell instantly. Luckily for the rest of them, though, the dragon didn't flame again, but left to attack some other part of the village.

"Up this way," the Stormcloak they had followed in said.

Zack obeyed, and looked through the hole. There was a building close to the hole, with a huge chunk of its roof gone.

"Just jump through the inn roof and keep going," he ordered, "Make for the keep as fast as you can!"

Zack nodded. He could make that jump, even with his hands tied, "Cloud, you first. Hurry!" He didn't know when Cloud would fall back into his stupor, and so needed to keep him moving as fast as he could.

Cloud jumped and landed with barely a stumble – hey, when had he gotten his hands untied? Oh well, not like it mattered. Zack jumped after him and landed slightly less gracefully, but fortunately without hurting himself. They made it down to the ground floor and out into the chaotic inferno once more. The keep, get to the keep... where the hell was the keep? How was he supposed to find it in this mess?

He found a clear path through the smoke and followed it, hoping he'd be able to find the keep, or, failing that, a serviceable basement. Cloud grabbed his elbow, which was a relief – at least they wouldn't be separated.

"It's going to be okay, Cloud," Zack reassured him, hoping it wasn't an empty promise, "Stick with me, okay?"

After a moment, he found a few of the Imperial soldiers. Most of them had bows and were firing at the dragon – oh, like that was going to do any good – and one was carrying a small boy. He handed the boy to an older man and turned to see them.

"Still alive?" he asked, and Zack recognized him as the soldier from before who wanted to spare them, "Stay close to me and maybe I can keep you that way."

Yeah, and maybe he'd put him back on the chopping block as soon as they'd gotten away from the dragon. But then again, better to stick with someone who was armed and had some idea where he was then try to get away on his own. Zack nodded and followed the soldier, Cloud still clinging tightly to his elbow.

It was hard to figure out what was going on. The dragon was still swooping around, roaring and breathing fire, filling the air with heat and smoke so that Zack could barely see. He stumbled a few times, but as long as he kept following the soldier and could still feel Cloud's hand gripping his sleeve, he would be okay.

"Ralof, you damned traitor!" the soldier yelled at one of the Stormcloaks.

"We're leaving Hadvar, and you're not going to stop us!" the Stormcloak yelled back.

"Fine!" the soldier, Hadvar, yelled, "I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" He drew his bow and took aim at the dragon once more.

"Don't waste your arrows, idiot!" Zack yelled, bumping into the soldier, "We've got to run!"

Suddenly, Zack realized that Cloud was no longer hanging on to him. He looked around frantically for his small companion, and sighted him close to the wall of the keep, near one of the overturned carts. How in the world had he gotten over there so fast?

"Cloud!" he screamed, letting panic take him for the first time, "Cloud!"

The soldier grabbed him by his still-bound hands and pulled him towards a door to the keep. Hadvar opened the door and pushed Zack inside. Zack stumbled and fell to the hard stone floor. He could still hear the dragon roaring outside, and heard a crash as something collapsed right by the door.

Hadvar cursed loudly, and tested the door, "It's blocked."

Zack turned to him with a glare, "Damn you! Why didn't you let me get Cloud?!"

"I was going to get you safely inside and then go back for him," Hadvar said, "I thought at least I could be certain of saving one innocent life."

"You should have saved him then!" Zack bellowed, "Cloud... oh gods, Cloud..."

Cloud was innocent. Innocent in a way Zack couldn't even remember being. Four years Zack had been caring for him, most of it as captives of that madman, and despite everything Cloud had endured he had somehow never lost that innocence...

"There's still hope for your friend," Hadvar said, approaching Zack cautiously. He seemed aware that Zack was furious enough to be dangerous even with bound hands. "He was close to the other door of the keep. With luck, he had the sense to get inside."

Was that the truth, or just a pretty lie to give him hope? Zack wasn't sure.

"Let me get those bindings off..." Hadvar said gently, like he was speaking to a spooked horse. Zack let him remove the bindings and rubbed his wrists gratefully. Those things hurt.

"There's some equipment in that chest. You should probably grab it. It's not like the captain needs it anymore."

Zack smiled slightly, finding some vindictive pleasure in the thought of the captain who had tried to have him and Cloud killed dead. He hoped the dragon had eaten her. He hoped it had hurt.

Sure enough, there was a full set of armor in the chest, but it was fitted for a woman. Zack would only really be able to make use of the bracers and boots (apparently the captain had big feet), but it was something. There was a shield and shortsword by the bed, so he grabbed those as well and put the armor on very quickly. He could still hear the dragon outside, and what sounded like screams, so there was still a chance Cloud was alive if he hurried.

"Now, where's the other door?" he demanded, drawing the sword.

"This way," Hadvar said, leading the way out of the barracks and down a hall.

Zack followed behind, keeping his sword drawn. Fortunately Hadvar seemed to understand his urgency and ran instead of walking, and then came to an abrupt halt and drew his sword. Stormcloaks. Two of them. Upon seeing him, the one in front drew his sword, and Zack wanted to scream at them for caring more about their stupid fight when there was a dragon outside and Cloud -

And Cloud was the second Stormcloak, following behind the one who had drawn his weapon.

"Cloud!" he yelled, dropping his sword and running right past the startled Stormcloak to hug his friend tightly. Cloud let out a grunt at the treatment, but Zack didn't care. "Oh, thank the Divines, Cloud!"

"Zack. I got your sword," Cloud said, lifting up the handle of Zack's blade.

"You -" Zack gaped at him, "There was a dragon attacking, and you went to get my sword?"

"It's important, right?" Cloud said.

"Not nearly as important as you! I nearly had a heart attack when I realized you weren't with me! You -" Zack let out an exasperated noise, "Cloud, I'm not sure whether I should clobber you or kiss you right now."

Cloud buried his face in Zack's chest, "It was important."

There was another loud roar from outside and the building shook. Zack decided there were better times and places to lecture Cloud on the meaning of self-preservation – and wouldn't Angeal have been shocked to hear Zack giving someone that lecture.

Hadvar and the Stormcloak had ceased fighting, apparently more interested in Zack and Cloud's reunion than fighting.

"We need to get out of here," Zack said, "Hadvar, is there another exit? Most forts have a secret exit, right?"

Hadvar eyed the Stormcloak nervously. Zack let out a growl that caused them both to jump. He'd gained the knack of that sometime during his captivity under Hojo. It had been useful for intimidating his assistants and keeping them away from Cloud. Too bad it had never worked on the mage himself.

"Right now, the dragon is a bigger problem than the civil war," he said, "So for Mara's sake, can we just get out of here?" He grabbed his sword from Cloud and saw all of their eyes widen when he held it in one hand. He'd need two hands to swing it properly, but soldiers respected strength, and he was fine with bluffing a bit if it made them listen to him.

"This way," Hadvar said, pointing them towards a set of stairs.

"Grab that sword, Cloud," Zack ordered, pointing towards the shortsword he'd dropped.

Cloud did as he was told, moving with purpose. Zack was amazed. This was the longest Cloud had been coherent since they'd escaped the ruin where Hojo and his underlings had holed up. Cloud had had a little bit of skill with a sword beforehand, but Zack didn't know how much good it would do him. He still seemed fairly addled. Zack grabbed his arm and put the shield on him.

"Here, use this too," he said. He tightened up the buckles. "If we end up running into any fighting, you stay towards the back, okay?"

"I can fight, Zack," Cloud said firmly. Zack was happy to see intelligent light back in his eyes, but this wasn't a good time for Cloud's stubborn streak to rear its head.

"You've been sick for a long time, Cloud," Zack said. He reached out and ruffled Cloud's hair. "Just humor me on this and let me take care of you, okay? The last thing I want is for you to go blank again in the middle of a den of skeevers."

Cloud relaxed a bit, looking thoughtful. He nodded, "Alright."

"You just stick close to me, Cloud," Zack said, and drew Cloud into a one-armed hug, "It's going to be okay."

The fort rumbled again, and Zack jumped. "But we should probably get moving. Lead the way, Hadvar."

Hadvar led the way down, through a couple of supply rooms. Zack found a few potions and a set of armor that was too small for him again, but fit Cloud well enough. It would do until they got to a blacksmith at least. He could probably trade it for some armor that fit properly. And probably lighter, too. Cloud was very agile, heavy armor would impede him.

Zack thought for a few seconds that Hadvar and Ralof would come to blows over the torture room, but managed to stop it with nothing more than a hand on his sword hilt and a menacing look. Cloud ignored the brewing argument, and retrieved a small coin purse from within one of the cells.

"Only twelve Septims," he said sadly as he counted them out. He handed the purse to Zack, "We'll need a lot more."

"That's okay, Cloud," Zack reassured him. He'd had a few hundred when he'd been captured – it was probably lining the pockets of some dead soldier now, but there was always money to be made killing monsters or hunting down criminals with bounties, and he was good at that.

The fort soon gave way to a rough, rocky tunnel with a stream flowing through it. Zack smiled at the cleverness of it. Fresh water in case of a siege, and the naturally forming cave would also provide a route for a messenger to get out of if necessary.

"What exactly is wrong with your friend?" Ralof asked softly, looking at Cloud as he climbed up the rocky embankment. "It looked like he wasn't even able to talk on the cart."

Zack shook his head, "It comes and goes. A mage decided to experiment on both of us, and Cloud... he retreated into his own mind. This is the longest he's been... awake in a year."

"A year?" Hadvar echoed, "What did he do to you?"

"I don't know," Zack said honestly. He hurried to steady Cloud as he slipped on some loose shale.

"'M fine, Zack..." Cloud protested, but Zack could see he was lying. His eyes were starting to look dull again, and he had slurred his words.

"Come on, Cloud, stay with me," Zack said. "We're free. Hojo's not here to hurt us. And as soon as we're out of this cave, we're going to find a good healer for you."

But it seemed like it was too late. The light of intelligence was once again fading from Cloud's eyes, and his movements were rough, as though he had been drugged. Zack cursed.

"Hadvar, Ralof," he called, "I'm going to need you two to take the lead again." He hitched Cloud's arm up over his shoulder and pulled him upright, mostly leaning on Zack.

"I've got you, Cloud. I've already carried you this far, I can keep it up for as long as you need me."

Cloud only grunted. Zack hoped it was an acknowledgment.

They finally escaped from the cave a few hours later, with no new injuries to show for it. They had run into a few giant spiders, and successfully snuck past a bear – gods alone knew how they had managed that, with four armored men, one nearly unconscious and being dragged. Maybe the bear was blind and deaf.

"Look, Cloud," Zack said, gently tilting Cloud's head up towards the sky.

Cloud seemed to smile a bit at the sight of all of the stars. Zack smiled as well. At least he was aware enough to still remember how much he loved the stars.

"We're free," he murmured. He stroked Cloud's hair gently, "We're going to be alright."

"If the Empire doesn't try to put you two back on the block again," Ralof grumbled.

"Give it a rest, will you?" Hadvar snapped. He looked at Zack apologetically, "That's not going to happen. You being there at all was nothing but bad luck. You should have been released, but the Captain -"

Zack shrugged, "Wanted it over with. Yeah, I got that. I don't care about your war at all, and I'm not going to get involved if you'll leave us alone. I just want to make sure Cloud is taken care of."

"It's a shame you don't want to get involved," Ralof said. "The Stormcloaks could always use a loyal, honorable man like you."

"So could the empire," said Hadvar.

"Shut it, both of you," Zack said. He was getting very sick of these two arguing with each other. It felt like he was listening to a pair of squabbling children.

"Zack..." Cloud groaned, lifting his head.

"Hey, welcome back to the world of the living, Cloud," Zack said brightly, ruffling his hair, "What do you need?"

"'M... hungry..."

"I have an uncle who lives in Riverwood, just up the road," Hadvar said. "He can give you food and supplies, and a warm bed for the night."

"My sister, too," Ralof cut in, apparently not wanting to be outdone in terms of hospitality. "Besides, they'll need to be warned about the dragon."

"Food and a bed is all we need for now," Zack said, "Lead the way."

When they arrived in Riverwood, Zack decided to accept Hadvar's invitation to stay at his uncle's house instead of Ralof's. He didn't know either of them, but thought that he'd have some better luck finding what he needed at a blacksmith's forge than at a miller's house.

"But thank you for the offer," he said to Ralof, not wanting to seem ungrateful. Both of these men had helped to save his life, and even if their constant arguments irritated him, he was in debt to both of them.

"I'll stop in to see Gerdur," he said, "But I'm not going to stay the night, so don't think you can sneak off and find a legion of Imperials to help you arrest me, Hadvar."

Hadvar snorted, "If I were going to arrest you, I wouldn't need a legion."

Cloud grunted. It was probably just an involuntary noise, but it sounded like he was also annoyed at them.

"We escaped a dragon together," Zack said, "Don't you think we should be friends by now? You Nords are big on bonds formed in battle, right?"

"Bonds formed by running for your life aren't the same thing as bonds formed in battle," Ralof said, but he was smiling a bit.

"I'll let you run a little bit farther, Ralof," Hadvar said. He also seemed to be smiling a bit, "I'm not going back to the legion until I've had a good meal and a good night's sleep. You might be able to outrun me in that time."

Alvor was a nice man, who was happy to give Zack and Cloud a hot meal and a place to stay for the night, especially once Hadvar had told him what happened in Helgen. Dinner was some kind of stew that Zack found rather bland, but after the kind of day they had had he would have tucked into a dead elk he found on the side of the road with enthusiasm. Cloud was out of his daze enough to spoon food into his own mouth, which made life a little easier for Zack.

"You're welcome to stay here for the night," Alvor said, dishing Cloud up a second bowl, "But someone's going to need to tell Jarl Balgruuf what happened in Helgen. A dragon... by the gods, if it shows up here, we're defenseless."

"I need to get Cloud to the Temple of Kynareth before anything else," Zack said, "It might be better for you to tell the Jarl, Hadvar." He reached over and wiped Cloud's chin. "Slow down a bit, Cloud. Food does you more good inside your mouth."

"The Temple of Kynareth is in Whiterun," Alvor said, "Did you not know where it was?"

"Well... I knew it was in Skyrim," Zack said. At Alvor and Hadvar's incredulous looks, he added, "Look, I just know that they're supposed to be the best healers in the empire. The one I found in Bruma had no idea how to help Cloud, so I came here."

"You're going to need to learn the lay of the land," Hadvar said, shaking his head. "Jarl Balgruuf lives at Dragonsreach, the keep at the top of Whiterun. The Temple of Kynareth is in the same town. You can drop your friend off with the healers, run up to tell the Jarl what happened, and get back to the temple before he'll even know you've been gone."

"Oh." Zack said. He grinned, "Finally, something is working out for us."

Cloud made a satisfied noise, and put down his spoon.

"All done?" Zack asked, and was pleased to see a little light back in Cloud's eyes.

"Full," Cloud declared, and yawned loudly.

"It's going to be so nice to sleep inside for a change," Zack said, and Cloud nodded.

"Warm," he said.

Alvor didn't have beds for all of them, but he moved a thick sheepskin rug to the floor by the hearth, and Zack curled up on it, holding Cloud. Cloud seemed happy enough, but he had a tendency to wander in the night and Zack wanted to know if he was going anywhere.

"Zack..." Cloud said vaguely, cuddling into Zack's chest.

"I've got you, Cloud," he promised.

Cloud smiled, and hummed a tune, something he did when he was happy. Zack suspected it was probably a lullaby, but the occasional words Cloud muttered seemed like pure nonsense.

"Diivon fin lein..." Cloud mumbled.

"Whatever you say, kid," Zack said, holding Cloud close.