With Kitfoxpup's permission, I've decided to write this fic after reading her story, Midnight. If you have not read Midnight, do so before you read this story! She had vaguely mentioned the death of Sora's father and so I wanted to write a side-story on how he had passed away. From my summary, you all know who the father is and it's sort of set in the world of Crisis Core...except the Nibelheim incident never happened so there's no comatose Cloud and crazy Sephiroth in this setting lol!

Frankly, I have never played Kingdom Hearts, but rather, I've only watched others play it so I have only basic information regarding their personalities and such (I've had to refer to Kit's story for detailed stuff) so I apologize if any of the Kingdom Hearts characters seem a little OOC.

Originally, I had planned this to be a one-shot, but then my imagination spun off and now I ended up writing more than one chapter. For now, I will only be posting the first chapter, but stay tuned for future updates! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts

Silver Wings of Freedom

The night was silent save for the chirping of several crickets nearby and the crackling of fire, illuminating the small cave a man was currently sheltered in. He sported the colors of SOLDIER which matched his black, raven-like hair…

Only, he was no longer affiliated with SOLDIER…

Zack Fair was now considered a threat to Shinra, the company in Midgar he had used to work under. He couldn't believe that in one fell swoop, his life had turned upside down. The friends he had used to work with, fight with, eat and joke around with, were all now after his head. It was amazing at how much influence the company had on its staff members. Well, it was no surprise to Zack since the President had all the money in the Planet to easily turn friends against each other.

Clenching his fists, he thought about how his service under the company had caused so much suffering. In the past, he thought he was serving for the better, but 'better' had meant good for the company, not for its people. Zack hated himself for believing the President's lies and deceitful ways to presumably, 'make life better' for the people in Midgar and around the Planet.

He unclenched his hands and sighed, picking up another stick from the pile he had gathered today during his run. Tossing it carelessly into the small bonfire he had created, he gazed at the flames, thinking about today's events…

Today, his life was almost forfeit when the motorcycle he had stolen from the Shinra army had run out of gas. Thankfully, he had managed to find this place while running away from gunfire and was now hiding safely; a tall rock hid the entrance from view and the infantrymen weren't going to be keen enough to look behind it and find the cave. In the darkness of the cave, he waited until the commotion outside had died down before going out and gathering wood for a fire.

Zack continued to watch the flames lick at the wood as his thoughts started to revert back to the days before he left on his mission-the one that had gotten him into this mess in the first place…

The days he would spend with his beloved family…

He and Aerith had met at the age of 17 when she had found him lying unconscious among her flowers in the abandoned church in Sector 5. Despite a first, awkward meeting, it was love at first sight and the two gradually fell in love. They dated for at least eight years, finally marrying at the age of 25 and later, having three sons: Cloud, Leon, and Sora. Sora was the youngest out of the three and Leon was the oldest, leaving Cloud in the middle. Although Cloud and Leon possessed great strength-which they had inherited from him-they were both the humble type and usually did not do anything rash without thinking it through logically.

Zack smiled, figuring the two had gotten that from their mother. After all, Aerith was the peaceful type and she hated fighting under any circumstance.

Then there was Sora, the hyperactive one. Zack and Aerith knew for sure knew that their son had gotten the constant energy trait from his father. The young boy would always be running around, swinging his wooden sword around, which Zack had gotten for him for his 6th birthday. Aerith would tell Zack that watching Sora reminded her of Zack back in the day and the thought of them in each others arms and watching their children grow up brought tears to Zack's eyes. Shinra was the reason he couldn't immediately return to his family and he had no means of sending a return letter to Aerith, who had sent him a letter a few months ago.

Digging into his left pocket, he produced his wife's letter and opened it up, re-reading what she had written…

Zack,

It's funny how you said the job would be a cinch and here I am, writing you this letter two years later. I had no idea that a job could take two years to complete, but then again, it's Shinra so I wouldn't expect it otherwise.

I hope you're doing well and working hard at your job. The boys and I miss you here in Midgar, especially Sora. The poor thing's been crying and he hasn't been playing with the wooden sword you gave him. I've calmed him down a bit though so don't worry. I know with all my heart you'll return real soon and I've told Sora that as well. He's feeling better knowing that you're out there, safe and sound and working hard. At school, he drew a picture of you and showed me so I've decided to include it with this letter…

Zack stopped reading for a moment and unfolded a second piece of paper, revealing a drawing of him that Sora drew. Tears sprang back in his eyes as his gloved hand traced the crayon markings of his son's drawing. The lines represented his body and the circle with the triangles on top were his hair; a stick figure drawing of him. He sniffed and wiped tears away as he wondered if he would see his family again. Folding the paper, he returned to reading Aerith's letter.

You would've laughed if you saw Cloud and Leon right now. They act like everything's normal and then when they retreat into their rooms, they start crying. See how much the boys miss you? So you better come home soon!

Through his tears, Zack chuckled at the thought of his two older boys blubbering like babies in their rooms.

I pray you're safe and not getting attacked by monsters. Monster attacks have increased in Midgar since you've left and Shinra's been telling everyone to stay indoors. Don't worry though, Lucine's husband, Kunsel has been escorting me and my family around and the army has been dispatched to take care of the creatures.

Kunsel, a good friend of his, was a 2nd Class SOLDIER and husband of Lucine. They had a son named Roxas, who was good friends with his boys, but mainly Sora. He remembered the days when they would all go to the park together and just have a picnic. Him and Kunsel working on grilling the hot dogs while Aerith and Lucine talked and watched the children play.

While Zack was dispatched on his mission, he received the terrible news that Kunsel had died in an accident at Fort Condor; the Mako Reactor had malfunctioned, resulting in a sudden explosion and the SOLDIER-along with other staff members-was caught in the radius of its blast.

Lucine had changed since her husband's passing. She started resorting to alcohol to take her depressions away and the liquor would make her hysterical and abusive towards Roxas. Aerith had lovingly welcomed the boy in the family and ever since then, Roxas had considered them his second family.

And speaking of Roxas…

Roxas has been staying over for about a week now. Lucine has been drinking again and so he decided to go and stay with us for a while until his mother calms down. He and Sora are such a handful when taking care of them together!

Write back when you can! We'd all love to hear from you!

I love you, honey!

-Aerith

Folding the letter, Zack took the two pieces of paper and gently kissed them before returning it to his pocket. Mentally, he promised that he would live through this to see them again. Looking around, he spotted the Buster Sword, leaning against the rocky walls of the cave. The mighty sword had represented all his honor and dreams. He watched the reflection of the flames on the sleek metal of its blade.

"Angeal…what do I do from here? I just…want to see my family again…"

As he continued to look at the sword, he felt drowsy. "Aerith…please, hold on…" he trailed off as his eyes drooped and soon, he was in peaceful slumber.

There's more to come! Zack just went to sleep and he'll be awake again the next chapter! XD

Anywho, thanks for reading and please drop by a review! :)