Post by Red400 on Sept 20, 2008 22:42:06 GMT -5
Username: Red400
Current canons: none
Canon you're auditioning for: Zack Fair
Media canon is from: Final Fantasy 7
Is the current canon taken?: No
Audition post (400 words):
----------------------
Current canons: none
Canon you're auditioning for: Zack Fair
Media canon is from: Final Fantasy 7
Is the current canon taken?: No
Audition post (400 words):
----------------------
"Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you..."
"We're friends, right?"
A pick-up truck was driving through the barren desert on a dirt road. The truck was on its way to Midgar: A city that was known for their military organization known as SOLDIER. The members of SOLDIER were far superior to a normal human being when it came to skills and strength. Three SOLDIER members, in particular, were considered to be the 'best' in the group. Their names were Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth. The trio joined SOLDIER the same time, and became the top 3 of SOLDIER's first class. However, in recent events, the group had fallen apart. Genesis and Angeal were considered dead, and Sephiroth soon followed them. Another first class SOLDIER, who was named Zack Fair, was also killed at the same time Sephiroth did, as well as two infantry troops.
However, there was another story to this plot...
Sephiroth, who was considered the best SOLDIER that ever lived, became insane when he had figured out that he was not human. In fact, he was an experiment that was dubbed the 'Jenova Project'. Sephiroth set the village of Nibelheim in flames, and
Zack Fair chased him to a Mako Reactor near-by. The two fought each other, but Sephiroth ended up winning the battle. Sephiroth returned to his 'mother' and turned his back to an infantry man, who was named Cloud Strife.
Cloud eventually 'defeated' Sephiroh. Zack and Cloud soon escaped from the mansion and Nibelheim to find their way back to Midgar. Finally, after 4 years had passed by them in almost an instant, they were returning to the city...
Zack and Cloud were riding on the back of a pick-up truck. They were close to Midgar; It was just a couple of miles away from where they were. Zack stared up at the sky, thinking back on his time as a SOLDIER. So many things have happened to him...Some of them felt like it didn't even happen at all. That they were just dreams or his imagination playing tricks on him.
Of course, the one person that stood out from his mind was Aerith. 'I promised her that I'll come back....' Zack thought. He promised Aerith that after he was done with his mission with Sephiroth, he would come back and help her sell the flowers. It has been 4 years since that mission. And, not too long ago, he had received a letter from her....the 89th, and final letter. So now, Zack was going to return and help her sell the flowers. 'And I have to show her the sky too....'
Zack looked over at Cloud, who was still unconscious. He simply smiled as he let out a small sigh under his breath. Cloud has given him a lot of trouble during this journey; he was actually knocked-out for most of the 'quick' 4 years. However, Zack saw a lot of potential in this kid. He might have been an infantry man, but he could easily be a SOLDIER. He already had the clothes of one, so he might as well join them. And both of them had a similar life-style in the past; both grew up in small towns. In a way, Cloud reminded Zack of himself when he was still under Angeal's 'wings'.
Zack was talking to Cloud, even though he knew that Cloud wouldn't respond to him.
"I'm going to be a mercenary. Boring stuff. Dangerous stuff. Anything for money. I'm going to be rich!" Zack said. Zack got the idea from the man that was driving the pick-up truck, although he was just joking around. To him, being a SOLDIER was more important that being any mercenary....of course, that didn't stop him from playing. "Well, Cloud, what are YOU going to do?" Cloud still wouldn't respond, and Zack gave out a small chuckle. "Heh heh....Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you..." Zack paused for a little bit as he looked up again. With a smile on his face, he looked back at Cloud and said, "We're friends, right?" Zack looked to his side, and saw a minor glimpse of an object...He smiled, as he saw towers and buildings. He knew that it was Midgar. It was had the appearance of a 'speck', but Zack was imagining seeing Aerith and all of his friends in the city already. It was only a matter of time before they got there....
An hour later....
The truck was coming to halt, which surprised Zack. "Hey, why are we stopping?" Zack asked, as he glanced at the driver. 'T-t-the military is coming over here! W-what do they want?!' Zack closed his eyes as he looked down in bitter disappointment. 'Damn...' he thought. Zack and Cloud were still 'fugitives', seeing as they escaped Nibelheim as prisoners. Both of them were used for 'experiments', although Zack wasn't quite sure what they did. The only thing that Zack knew was that because of those 'experiments'; Cloud wouldn't wake up. When they left the village, they were dubbed 'fugitives' by the military. Not only were the military looking for them; The Turks, who were yet another special class of military personals, were also looking for them. The Turks had a well known reputation for not failing in a mission.
In fact, the only reason why Zack and Cloud weren't under the arrest of the Turks, were because one of them had sympathy and let them go. If they really wanted to, they could have found them on the spot. Zack looked over the horizon, and saw the military coming. It wasn't just a few soldiers coming over; It was the entire army. 'I guess they really want to kill us...' Zack thought. He sighed once more as he told the driver, "We can walk from here. Get out of here while you can. We'll be fine." Zack let out his genuine smile as he gave a 'thumbs-up' to the driver.
The driver didn't hesitate as he came to a complete stop. Once the truck stopped, Zack stood up and lifted Cloud onto his shoulders. They were even out of the truck, and the driver was already making his escape. Zack leaped off the back and landed near a pile of rocks. The pick-up truck driver hit the petal as fast as he could, and in no time; he was 'gone' from the site.
Zack placed Cloud next to a tall rock. 'There...' he thought, as he tried his best not to hurt Cloud in any way. In the state that he was in now; there was no telling what could happen. Zack looked over to the horizon once more, and let out a deep sigh. The military was coming this way, and Cloud was still unconscious...They couldn't keep running away from the military for much longer. He looked down at Cloud and realized that this will most likely be the final time he was going to see him...
He made an oath. He wasn't going to let the military get his hands on Cloud. He still had so much to live for, and Zack already made a promise that he was going back to the city, no matter what. He had promised that the both of them were come back to the city together....but as the army drew closer, he realized that promise wouldn't be kept. And he wouldn't be able to see Aerith again...
'I'm sorry, Aerith....' He thought to himself. 'Looks like I won't be able to show you the sky, or help you with the flowers.' Zack checked on Cloud once more, and just chuckled again. He shook him on his shoulder, trying to see if that would of woke him up. The least he wanted to say was good-bye to him. But alas, Cloud still didn't come out of his sedated state of being. Zack just shook his head a little bit and stood up.
It was weird....He knew that he was facing death, yet it didn't faze him at all. He was completely calm about the whole situation. It felt like he was just going on another, simple mission with Angeal by his side. Perhaps that's why he was feeling so calm; He felt like Angeal was watching him, possibly protecting him. Who knows; maybe he had enough strength to defeat the entire army.
Zack started to walk away, and with a firm posture, was going to face the Shinra Army by himself. He never looked back at Cloud; The only thing that he thought was, 'The army won't get by me.' He continued to walk towards the Shinra army, letting them know that he was not afraid of them. No matter what their numbers were; he was still going to face them....Helicopters loomed over the desert, and thousands of infantry men were roaming the sands. They were not walking in any formation; it was just a massive group walking as one. Finally, the army came to a stop.
One was already setting up his gun and hundreds soon followed. Helicopters stopped 'moving' and were now just hovering above the massive mass of soldiers. They had set themselves on a hill with ledges, to gain a 'shooting' advantage. All of their guns and men were pointing at one direction; Their front.
In their front, stood a tall man with spiky black hair. His eyes were dark blue, and he wore the attire of a SOLDIER's uniform; A 1st class one at that. 1st class SOLDIER's attire were mainly black. He had shoulder pads and a black, sleeveless shirt. His shirt was tucked in a strange fashion; almost like they were 'building' over from above the stomach. He were baggy black pants and black boots. But, the one factor that stood out from all the other traits that this person had was his weapon. This sword was wide, yet thin. It was almost as tall as the SOLDIER, and it had a crack on the bottom end of it. A lone infantry-man wouldn't stand a chance against this man...but with more than thousands with them, the odds were greatly stacked against the SOLDIER....
Zack looked at the masses of soldiers that were standing before him. His eyes grew a little wide, realizing how many people were here. But his shock soon came to an end, as he saw all their weapons were pointing at him. Rather than being scared; Zack felt...brave. He knew that he was going to lose this battle, but that didn't matter; As long as they didn't their hands on Cloud, then that was all that mattered.
"Boy, oh boy...The price of freedom is steep..." Zack mumbled. He continued to look at the army, and not one man was looking off at another direction; their sights was all on him. Zack took out the Buster Sword, remembering Angeal's words. This sword belonged to him...it would only make sense that Zack would remember him before the battle. He held the sword in front of him and closed his eyes, his head slightly leaning against the front side of the sword. "Embrace your dreams...And....Whatever happens...." He opened his eyes and lowered his sword as he finished his quote, saying, "Protect your honor....as SOLDIER!" Zack brought his sword to his side as he quickly got into his fighting stance. Without hesitation, he charged over at the Shinra Army and, as a battle cry, he said, "Come and get it!"
Zack slashed through an infantry man, and he quickly went after another one. Soldiers tried shooting at him, but all of them missed and hit their own allies. "Take this!" Zack shouted as he hit another infantry man. The man went down and for a short moment; the area around him was clear. However, more infantry man soon replaced the ones that were killed, and now; the Helicopters were shooting out missiles at them.
A soldier tried to punch him but Zack dodged it and grabbed his wrist and twisted it. The man winced and let out a cry of agony. Zack threw the infantry man at another one, and slashed at him again. He managed to cut down two infantry man at once, and he soon felt cocky. However, his over-confidence was 'shot down' as he saw a missile coming at him. Zack dodge the main blow of the missile, but the force of it made him fall onto the ground. He quickly up, and tried to attack someone else.
Everything was beginning to get blurry, but he still made out what was a Shinra army and what was just an illusion. Zack was still doing fine for the next 15 minutes, but then an incident occurred...The numbers eventually caught up to Zack, and he turned his back on one as he was facing one infantry man. He took down the one that he was facing, but Zack suddenly felt like a knife had stabbed him on the shoulder three times. He looked back, and quickly saw that an infantry man, that had already taken aim. Zack 'sucked up' the pain, and charged straight at the man, but as he did; A force pushed him off. Another missile was sent down on the area, and it hit the man that Zack was aiming at.
Zack flew back from the force and found himself lying on the ground. "Tch!" Zack was panting, but he still had the will to keep going. 'They won't...get Cloud...' Zack thought. He was getting up, when he saw a person taking aim at him once more. In fact, three of them were taking aim, at three different directions. Zack looked at all three of them, and just as they shot; Zack dodged two of their attacks. Two of them shot each other when he dodged their gun fire, but the third one got a direct hit on him. Zack felt a piercing pain on his stomach. He looked down, and saw that he was bleeding from the stomach.
Zack looked at the infantry men, and quickly cut him down. However, at this point in the battle; Zack was getting tired. Memories were flashing before him....It was memories of Sephiroth, Tseng, and Cissnei. 'Cissnei.....Tseng.....Sephiroth...' Zack thought, as he took in deeper breaths. A heating 'force' suddenly sent him flying again. "Argh!" A missile had gone off near-by him, and he wasn't able to get out in time. The missile had missed a direct hit...but it was very close. Zack was lying on the ground again, trying to find some way to catch a break.
But he knew that he couldn't take a break. If he stood idle for too long, then he would be dead. Zack now had to hold the Buster Sword with two hands as he felt his energy quickly draining away. He could hear shots being fired, and he looked back. His vision continued to blur as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. All he could see at the moment was a bunch of flashes and blue 'blops' that moved rapidly.
Zack was soon shot again from a barrage of fire. The shots hit him on the other shoulder, while another one landed on his leg. Zack stumbled as he let out a cry of his own. "Damn it!" He shouted, as the wounds started to take effect. Dark clouds were creeping up and was covering the blue sky....All that Zack could see was a bunch of blurs. Another memory flash back occurred to him; One of his mentor, Angeal, and the other, his new friend Cloud. However, as the memories passed by him, Zack almost forgot all about them. Sephiroth, Tseng, Cissnei, Angeal, Cloud.....he was forgetting about all of them.
Then, another memory occurred to him. It was the girl in the blue dress....the one that he bought a bow for her. The one that he promised would come back, and help her sell the flowers. And the most important one; Take her up and show her the sky. A woman's voice soothed Zack's berserk state, and it sounded all too familiar.'Helll-ooo?'
'Aerith...'
Hours Later...
Zack was now struggling to stand up. It was even harder for him to even tell what was going on, let alone get a grip of the Buster Sword. The people that he thought of during his battle has been all but forgotten....except one. As he struggled to stand straight, Zack could only remember about Aerith. His mind was no longer in a fighting state. He pushed his body to the limits....and the military was still coming. He was worn out, both physically and mentally.
He tried his best to catch his breath, as he suffered from severe wounds. Bullets had pierced all over his body, yet he managed to stay alive for this long....Even if his enemy was the army; they had to be impressed that he survived this long. At least, that is what Zack thought. His vision was now completely blurred, and he could no longer tell the difference between the soldiers or the environment. All that stood out from his sight was a 'blinding' light that was coming from the helicopter that was closing in. A couple of infantry men were coming to his direction; in fact, it was only three of them. They must have thought that Zack was no longer a 'threat' that he wouldn't do anything....and they were right.
Zack looked down as he gasped for air. He looked up and saw that the infantry men were looking at each other, almost in confusion. But their confusion came to an abrupt end, and they all looked back at the SOLDIER. They took aim, and wasted their shells just to get rid of Zack.
Unfortunately, the 1st class SOLDIER didn't have enough energy to dodge them. He ended up taking all the shots that the used up to kill him. Zack let out an agonizing scream as he collapsed. He landed back-wards as his sword landed next to him. Now, Zack was gasping for his final breaths, with his vision now becoming clear.
Everything was in slow motion, as he desperately looked up. One infantry man was coming up at him and all that Zack could do was gasp for breath and watch. The man looked down at the wounded SOLDIER, almost stalling his death. seconds seemed like hours for Zack, as he waited for his final shot.
Suddenly, he heard a loud boom. As the sounded ringed in his ears, he felt a strange pain in his heart. The pain was so great, that Zack fainted from the impact. He laid face up on the ground his vision starting to black out....Then, another 'vision' came to him. All that he could think about was Aerith, and all the time that they had together.
The flowers....The wagon....Their 'date'....His promise....Everything that he remembered about Aerith came to him. Her voice continued to chime in his ears from the various memories, but one sticked out from the rest. With his final memory of Aerith, he could hear her saying, "Will I....ever see you again?..." Soon, a white flash blinded him and everything that he remembered about Aerith was quickly and surely, disappearing from his mind...
'I'm so sorry...But I can't keep my promise, Aerith...'
Zack could feel drops of water dripping from his face. As for Zack himself; he was a complete mess. His shirt was filled with bullet holes that he took from the previous barrage. He was bloody all over that wasn't covered by clothes. His vision became clear and he saw the dark clouds. He could hear a noise in the background, although he just assumed that it was just another infantry trying to make sure that he was dead. He already knew that he was dead, so there was no point in resisting any longer.
But nothing happened. Instead, the sound of his voice brought him back from the 'edge' of death...for a short while anyway. Zack looked around, and quickly saw Cloud, who was hovering over him. "Z-zack?" Cloud said, with an obvious tone of concern and a look of fear in his face. Zack was relieved that Cloud was finally awake. Despite all that had happened, Zack found the strength to smile. He continued to struggle to get some air, but that didn't stop him from speaking. With the calm tone, Zack said, "For the both...of us..."
"Both...of us?..." Cloud asked, riding on every word that Zack said. "That's right...you're gonna..."Zack tried his best to speak up, although he could like he was choking on his own. He knew now that he didn't have much time left..."You're gonna?..." Zack mustered the last of his strength for his final act. He put his hand over Cloud's neck, and he brought his head to his chest. "...Live." He paused himself, and continued on. "You'll be....my living...legacy..."
Zack let go of Cloud's neck as his arm immediately dropped down to his left side. Cloud brought his head up, although he had nothing to say. There was a short pause between the two, which he could understand. He knew that Cloud was probably scared to have all of this happen so suddenly. There was a time when he like that too...Another reason why Zack could relate to Cloud.
Zack broke the silence between the two as he reached for his sword. He grabbed a hold of the sword, as his breath was beginning to diminish. "My honor....my dreams..." Zack said, before gasping for another breath of air. "....They're yours now." He smiled at Cloud again, but his smile quickly disappeared. He saw that Cloud was hesitating about picking up his sword, so Zack continued to hold on to it. 'Please Cloud...take my sword...' He thought. Cloud finally got a grip of the Buster Sword with both hands, and Zack pushed the sword off of him.
In a way, Zack was passing the 'torch'. Like how Angeal, with his final breath, gave the Buster Sword to Zack; He now had to do the same thing with Cloud. Cloud was quiet for a while, but finally spoke out. In almost a trance-like state, Cloud repeated Zack's words. "I'm your...living legacy..." With those words said, Zack felt a feeling that he never felt before. He felt...true peace, within himself. As his final moments counted down, Zack could only smile. He now knew....that Cloud would carry on his legacy, as well as Angeal's.
His heart stopped beating. Every small sigh and breath he took disappeared as he let out his final breath. His smile faded away as his eyes began to close. The rain wiped off all the blood that was on his clothes and skin. His head rested on the cold ground as the rain continued to fall down. Zack, the young man that had the 'unattainable' dream....the 1st class SOLDIER....was gone.
Everything flashed back to him. Everyone he met, all the places he went to, and everything he saw...all started to return in his last moment. Zack could remember seeing a person with white wings, and all that he could think about how 'cool' would it be to have those wings. His final thought came back to both Aerith and Angeal, and, with a question in his mind; he asked both of them.
'Hey.......Would you say that I became a hero?....'
"We're friends, right?"
A pick-up truck was driving through the barren desert on a dirt road. The truck was on its way to Midgar: A city that was known for their military organization known as SOLDIER. The members of SOLDIER were far superior to a normal human being when it came to skills and strength. Three SOLDIER members, in particular, were considered to be the 'best' in the group. Their names were Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth. The trio joined SOLDIER the same time, and became the top 3 of SOLDIER's first class. However, in recent events, the group had fallen apart. Genesis and Angeal were considered dead, and Sephiroth soon followed them. Another first class SOLDIER, who was named Zack Fair, was also killed at the same time Sephiroth did, as well as two infantry troops.
However, there was another story to this plot...
Sephiroth, who was considered the best SOLDIER that ever lived, became insane when he had figured out that he was not human. In fact, he was an experiment that was dubbed the 'Jenova Project'. Sephiroth set the village of Nibelheim in flames, and
Zack Fair chased him to a Mako Reactor near-by. The two fought each other, but Sephiroth ended up winning the battle. Sephiroth returned to his 'mother' and turned his back to an infantry man, who was named Cloud Strife.
Cloud eventually 'defeated' Sephiroh. Zack and Cloud soon escaped from the mansion and Nibelheim to find their way back to Midgar. Finally, after 4 years had passed by them in almost an instant, they were returning to the city...
Zack and Cloud were riding on the back of a pick-up truck. They were close to Midgar; It was just a couple of miles away from where they were. Zack stared up at the sky, thinking back on his time as a SOLDIER. So many things have happened to him...Some of them felt like it didn't even happen at all. That they were just dreams or his imagination playing tricks on him.
Of course, the one person that stood out from his mind was Aerith. 'I promised her that I'll come back....' Zack thought. He promised Aerith that after he was done with his mission with Sephiroth, he would come back and help her sell the flowers. It has been 4 years since that mission. And, not too long ago, he had received a letter from her....the 89th, and final letter. So now, Zack was going to return and help her sell the flowers. 'And I have to show her the sky too....'
Zack looked over at Cloud, who was still unconscious. He simply smiled as he let out a small sigh under his breath. Cloud has given him a lot of trouble during this journey; he was actually knocked-out for most of the 'quick' 4 years. However, Zack saw a lot of potential in this kid. He might have been an infantry man, but he could easily be a SOLDIER. He already had the clothes of one, so he might as well join them. And both of them had a similar life-style in the past; both grew up in small towns. In a way, Cloud reminded Zack of himself when he was still under Angeal's 'wings'.
Zack was talking to Cloud, even though he knew that Cloud wouldn't respond to him.
"I'm going to be a mercenary. Boring stuff. Dangerous stuff. Anything for money. I'm going to be rich!" Zack said. Zack got the idea from the man that was driving the pick-up truck, although he was just joking around. To him, being a SOLDIER was more important that being any mercenary....of course, that didn't stop him from playing. "Well, Cloud, what are YOU going to do?" Cloud still wouldn't respond, and Zack gave out a small chuckle. "Heh heh....Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you..." Zack paused for a little bit as he looked up again. With a smile on his face, he looked back at Cloud and said, "We're friends, right?" Zack looked to his side, and saw a minor glimpse of an object...He smiled, as he saw towers and buildings. He knew that it was Midgar. It was had the appearance of a 'speck', but Zack was imagining seeing Aerith and all of his friends in the city already. It was only a matter of time before they got there....
An hour later....
The truck was coming to halt, which surprised Zack. "Hey, why are we stopping?" Zack asked, as he glanced at the driver. 'T-t-the military is coming over here! W-what do they want?!' Zack closed his eyes as he looked down in bitter disappointment. 'Damn...' he thought. Zack and Cloud were still 'fugitives', seeing as they escaped Nibelheim as prisoners. Both of them were used for 'experiments', although Zack wasn't quite sure what they did. The only thing that Zack knew was that because of those 'experiments'; Cloud wouldn't wake up. When they left the village, they were dubbed 'fugitives' by the military. Not only were the military looking for them; The Turks, who were yet another special class of military personals, were also looking for them. The Turks had a well known reputation for not failing in a mission.
In fact, the only reason why Zack and Cloud weren't under the arrest of the Turks, were because one of them had sympathy and let them go. If they really wanted to, they could have found them on the spot. Zack looked over the horizon, and saw the military coming. It wasn't just a few soldiers coming over; It was the entire army. 'I guess they really want to kill us...' Zack thought. He sighed once more as he told the driver, "We can walk from here. Get out of here while you can. We'll be fine." Zack let out his genuine smile as he gave a 'thumbs-up' to the driver.
The driver didn't hesitate as he came to a complete stop. Once the truck stopped, Zack stood up and lifted Cloud onto his shoulders. They were even out of the truck, and the driver was already making his escape. Zack leaped off the back and landed near a pile of rocks. The pick-up truck driver hit the petal as fast as he could, and in no time; he was 'gone' from the site.
Zack placed Cloud next to a tall rock. 'There...' he thought, as he tried his best not to hurt Cloud in any way. In the state that he was in now; there was no telling what could happen. Zack looked over to the horizon once more, and let out a deep sigh. The military was coming this way, and Cloud was still unconscious...They couldn't keep running away from the military for much longer. He looked down at Cloud and realized that this will most likely be the final time he was going to see him...
He made an oath. He wasn't going to let the military get his hands on Cloud. He still had so much to live for, and Zack already made a promise that he was going back to the city, no matter what. He had promised that the both of them were come back to the city together....but as the army drew closer, he realized that promise wouldn't be kept. And he wouldn't be able to see Aerith again...
'I'm sorry, Aerith....' He thought to himself. 'Looks like I won't be able to show you the sky, or help you with the flowers.' Zack checked on Cloud once more, and just chuckled again. He shook him on his shoulder, trying to see if that would of woke him up. The least he wanted to say was good-bye to him. But alas, Cloud still didn't come out of his sedated state of being. Zack just shook his head a little bit and stood up.
It was weird....He knew that he was facing death, yet it didn't faze him at all. He was completely calm about the whole situation. It felt like he was just going on another, simple mission with Angeal by his side. Perhaps that's why he was feeling so calm; He felt like Angeal was watching him, possibly protecting him. Who knows; maybe he had enough strength to defeat the entire army.
Zack started to walk away, and with a firm posture, was going to face the Shinra Army by himself. He never looked back at Cloud; The only thing that he thought was, 'The army won't get by me.' He continued to walk towards the Shinra army, letting them know that he was not afraid of them. No matter what their numbers were; he was still going to face them....Helicopters loomed over the desert, and thousands of infantry men were roaming the sands. They were not walking in any formation; it was just a massive group walking as one. Finally, the army came to a stop.
One was already setting up his gun and hundreds soon followed. Helicopters stopped 'moving' and were now just hovering above the massive mass of soldiers. They had set themselves on a hill with ledges, to gain a 'shooting' advantage. All of their guns and men were pointing at one direction; Their front.
In their front, stood a tall man with spiky black hair. His eyes were dark blue, and he wore the attire of a SOLDIER's uniform; A 1st class one at that. 1st class SOLDIER's attire were mainly black. He had shoulder pads and a black, sleeveless shirt. His shirt was tucked in a strange fashion; almost like they were 'building' over from above the stomach. He were baggy black pants and black boots. But, the one factor that stood out from all the other traits that this person had was his weapon. This sword was wide, yet thin. It was almost as tall as the SOLDIER, and it had a crack on the bottom end of it. A lone infantry-man wouldn't stand a chance against this man...but with more than thousands with them, the odds were greatly stacked against the SOLDIER....
Zack looked at the masses of soldiers that were standing before him. His eyes grew a little wide, realizing how many people were here. But his shock soon came to an end, as he saw all their weapons were pointing at him. Rather than being scared; Zack felt...brave. He knew that he was going to lose this battle, but that didn't matter; As long as they didn't their hands on Cloud, then that was all that mattered.
"Boy, oh boy...The price of freedom is steep..." Zack mumbled. He continued to look at the army, and not one man was looking off at another direction; their sights was all on him. Zack took out the Buster Sword, remembering Angeal's words. This sword belonged to him...it would only make sense that Zack would remember him before the battle. He held the sword in front of him and closed his eyes, his head slightly leaning against the front side of the sword. "Embrace your dreams...And....Whatever happens...." He opened his eyes and lowered his sword as he finished his quote, saying, "Protect your honor....as SOLDIER!" Zack brought his sword to his side as he quickly got into his fighting stance. Without hesitation, he charged over at the Shinra Army and, as a battle cry, he said, "Come and get it!"
Zack slashed through an infantry man, and he quickly went after another one. Soldiers tried shooting at him, but all of them missed and hit their own allies. "Take this!" Zack shouted as he hit another infantry man. The man went down and for a short moment; the area around him was clear. However, more infantry man soon replaced the ones that were killed, and now; the Helicopters were shooting out missiles at them.
A soldier tried to punch him but Zack dodged it and grabbed his wrist and twisted it. The man winced and let out a cry of agony. Zack threw the infantry man at another one, and slashed at him again. He managed to cut down two infantry man at once, and he soon felt cocky. However, his over-confidence was 'shot down' as he saw a missile coming at him. Zack dodge the main blow of the missile, but the force of it made him fall onto the ground. He quickly up, and tried to attack someone else.
Everything was beginning to get blurry, but he still made out what was a Shinra army and what was just an illusion. Zack was still doing fine for the next 15 minutes, but then an incident occurred...The numbers eventually caught up to Zack, and he turned his back on one as he was facing one infantry man. He took down the one that he was facing, but Zack suddenly felt like a knife had stabbed him on the shoulder three times. He looked back, and quickly saw that an infantry man, that had already taken aim. Zack 'sucked up' the pain, and charged straight at the man, but as he did; A force pushed him off. Another missile was sent down on the area, and it hit the man that Zack was aiming at.
Zack flew back from the force and found himself lying on the ground. "Tch!" Zack was panting, but he still had the will to keep going. 'They won't...get Cloud...' Zack thought. He was getting up, when he saw a person taking aim at him once more. In fact, three of them were taking aim, at three different directions. Zack looked at all three of them, and just as they shot; Zack dodged two of their attacks. Two of them shot each other when he dodged their gun fire, but the third one got a direct hit on him. Zack felt a piercing pain on his stomach. He looked down, and saw that he was bleeding from the stomach.
Zack looked at the infantry men, and quickly cut him down. However, at this point in the battle; Zack was getting tired. Memories were flashing before him....It was memories of Sephiroth, Tseng, and Cissnei. 'Cissnei.....Tseng.....Sephiroth...' Zack thought, as he took in deeper breaths. A heating 'force' suddenly sent him flying again. "Argh!" A missile had gone off near-by him, and he wasn't able to get out in time. The missile had missed a direct hit...but it was very close. Zack was lying on the ground again, trying to find some way to catch a break.
But he knew that he couldn't take a break. If he stood idle for too long, then he would be dead. Zack now had to hold the Buster Sword with two hands as he felt his energy quickly draining away. He could hear shots being fired, and he looked back. His vision continued to blur as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. All he could see at the moment was a bunch of flashes and blue 'blops' that moved rapidly.
Zack was soon shot again from a barrage of fire. The shots hit him on the other shoulder, while another one landed on his leg. Zack stumbled as he let out a cry of his own. "Damn it!" He shouted, as the wounds started to take effect. Dark clouds were creeping up and was covering the blue sky....All that Zack could see was a bunch of blurs. Another memory flash back occurred to him; One of his mentor, Angeal, and the other, his new friend Cloud. However, as the memories passed by him, Zack almost forgot all about them. Sephiroth, Tseng, Cissnei, Angeal, Cloud.....he was forgetting about all of them.
Then, another memory occurred to him. It was the girl in the blue dress....the one that he bought a bow for her. The one that he promised would come back, and help her sell the flowers. And the most important one; Take her up and show her the sky. A woman's voice soothed Zack's berserk state, and it sounded all too familiar.'Helll-ooo?'
'Aerith...'
Hours Later...
Zack was now struggling to stand up. It was even harder for him to even tell what was going on, let alone get a grip of the Buster Sword. The people that he thought of during his battle has been all but forgotten....except one. As he struggled to stand straight, Zack could only remember about Aerith. His mind was no longer in a fighting state. He pushed his body to the limits....and the military was still coming. He was worn out, both physically and mentally.
He tried his best to catch his breath, as he suffered from severe wounds. Bullets had pierced all over his body, yet he managed to stay alive for this long....Even if his enemy was the army; they had to be impressed that he survived this long. At least, that is what Zack thought. His vision was now completely blurred, and he could no longer tell the difference between the soldiers or the environment. All that stood out from his sight was a 'blinding' light that was coming from the helicopter that was closing in. A couple of infantry men were coming to his direction; in fact, it was only three of them. They must have thought that Zack was no longer a 'threat' that he wouldn't do anything....and they were right.
Zack looked down as he gasped for air. He looked up and saw that the infantry men were looking at each other, almost in confusion. But their confusion came to an abrupt end, and they all looked back at the SOLDIER. They took aim, and wasted their shells just to get rid of Zack.
Unfortunately, the 1st class SOLDIER didn't have enough energy to dodge them. He ended up taking all the shots that the used up to kill him. Zack let out an agonizing scream as he collapsed. He landed back-wards as his sword landed next to him. Now, Zack was gasping for his final breaths, with his vision now becoming clear.
Everything was in slow motion, as he desperately looked up. One infantry man was coming up at him and all that Zack could do was gasp for breath and watch. The man looked down at the wounded SOLDIER, almost stalling his death. seconds seemed like hours for Zack, as he waited for his final shot.
Suddenly, he heard a loud boom. As the sounded ringed in his ears, he felt a strange pain in his heart. The pain was so great, that Zack fainted from the impact. He laid face up on the ground his vision starting to black out....Then, another 'vision' came to him. All that he could think about was Aerith, and all the time that they had together.
The flowers....The wagon....Their 'date'....His promise....Everything that he remembered about Aerith came to him. Her voice continued to chime in his ears from the various memories, but one sticked out from the rest. With his final memory of Aerith, he could hear her saying, "Will I....ever see you again?..." Soon, a white flash blinded him and everything that he remembered about Aerith was quickly and surely, disappearing from his mind...
'I'm so sorry...But I can't keep my promise, Aerith...'
Zack could feel drops of water dripping from his face. As for Zack himself; he was a complete mess. His shirt was filled with bullet holes that he took from the previous barrage. He was bloody all over that wasn't covered by clothes. His vision became clear and he saw the dark clouds. He could hear a noise in the background, although he just assumed that it was just another infantry trying to make sure that he was dead. He already knew that he was dead, so there was no point in resisting any longer.
But nothing happened. Instead, the sound of his voice brought him back from the 'edge' of death...for a short while anyway. Zack looked around, and quickly saw Cloud, who was hovering over him. "Z-zack?" Cloud said, with an obvious tone of concern and a look of fear in his face. Zack was relieved that Cloud was finally awake. Despite all that had happened, Zack found the strength to smile. He continued to struggle to get some air, but that didn't stop him from speaking. With the calm tone, Zack said, "For the both...of us..."
"Both...of us?..." Cloud asked, riding on every word that Zack said. "That's right...you're gonna..."Zack tried his best to speak up, although he could like he was choking on his own. He knew now that he didn't have much time left..."You're gonna?..." Zack mustered the last of his strength for his final act. He put his hand over Cloud's neck, and he brought his head to his chest. "...Live." He paused himself, and continued on. "You'll be....my living...legacy..."
Zack let go of Cloud's neck as his arm immediately dropped down to his left side. Cloud brought his head up, although he had nothing to say. There was a short pause between the two, which he could understand. He knew that Cloud was probably scared to have all of this happen so suddenly. There was a time when he like that too...Another reason why Zack could relate to Cloud.
Zack broke the silence between the two as he reached for his sword. He grabbed a hold of the sword, as his breath was beginning to diminish. "My honor....my dreams..." Zack said, before gasping for another breath of air. "....They're yours now." He smiled at Cloud again, but his smile quickly disappeared. He saw that Cloud was hesitating about picking up his sword, so Zack continued to hold on to it. 'Please Cloud...take my sword...' He thought. Cloud finally got a grip of the Buster Sword with both hands, and Zack pushed the sword off of him.
In a way, Zack was passing the 'torch'. Like how Angeal, with his final breath, gave the Buster Sword to Zack; He now had to do the same thing with Cloud. Cloud was quiet for a while, but finally spoke out. In almost a trance-like state, Cloud repeated Zack's words. "I'm your...living legacy..." With those words said, Zack felt a feeling that he never felt before. He felt...true peace, within himself. As his final moments counted down, Zack could only smile. He now knew....that Cloud would carry on his legacy, as well as Angeal's.
His heart stopped beating. Every small sigh and breath he took disappeared as he let out his final breath. His smile faded away as his eyes began to close. The rain wiped off all the blood that was on his clothes and skin. His head rested on the cold ground as the rain continued to fall down. Zack, the young man that had the 'unattainable' dream....the 1st class SOLDIER....was gone.
Everything flashed back to him. Everyone he met, all the places he went to, and everything he saw...all started to return in his last moment. Zack could remember seeing a person with white wings, and all that he could think about how 'cool' would it be to have those wings. His final thought came back to both Aerith and Angeal, and, with a question in his mind; he asked both of them.
'Hey.......Would you say that I became a hero?....'
I did post in shades of grey if anyone even remembers that lmao