[Cloud made a soft little noise and it might have been a bitter laugh if he'd still had enough air in his lungs for it.

The guy was a little late.

Everyone was already dead.

It seemed, even in his sorry state, kind of a rude thing to say though and Cloud knew his mom would be disappointed in him if he was cruel just before he died.

oh...god...

mom...

The lump in his throat made it almost too hard to talk and he swallowed hard against it. Grimacing in what was supposed to be a smile, he managed to look up at the pale man in front of him.]

Think it's a little late to help me... but I've - there's - Tifa... and Zack. They're back at the reactor. He's... he hurt them. And I - I think Tifa's... I think she's...

[his head sank and he didn't know whether he wanted to scream or cry. Dead. She's dead.

He couldn't say it]

They're hurt really bad...