A/N: Okay, I know I just posted another version of this chapter earlier today, but I thought that it kind of sucked as (especially) a first chapter, so here's a better version.

Angeal Hewley found Zack standing on the 'ocean' that looked down into the the living world. At some point after they had died they – and the others – created a 'landscape' within the Lifestream; it was neither real, nor fake, physical, nor none physical. Truthfully, none of them except Aerith seemed to actually understand what it was that they had created (or, perhaps, it's what she had created?).

It actually hadn't been all that hard to find Zack.

"You are my living legacy..."

He often looked at the past.

"Man, I should have thought of a better way to say that. Maybe then his memories wouldn't have gotten all mixed up with mine."

There were other factors, Angeal well knew, but he imagined that Zack's dying words really hadn't helped any. Still, what's said is said (amazingly the boy had never blamed him for it).

To be fair Zack had no way of knowing just how wide open Cloud's mind had been at the time, he had only known that his friend was in an almost completely unresponsive daze. He also hadn't known how much power a dying person's last words could have, never mind sealing it in blood as he did by accident.

Good thing he told Cloud, "Live." as well.

"He could have ended up dead like me!"

Zack had also picked up the odd habit of talking to himself ever since things had gone south with Aerith.

"Reminiscing about the past again?" Angeal asked from behind him.

Zack turned around to face his friend.

"I figure it's best not to forget." He replied to his former mentor with a smile.

The older man shook his head in amusement before saying seriously, "It's time again."

"For me?"

"Mm." Angeal answered with a nod.

"Alright. So what is it this time?"

Another smile from Angeal.

"You've got a rendezvous waiting there; they'll tell you what you need to know."

Zack raised a confused eyebrow and asked, "Huh? But shouldn't everyone who went down be back by now?"

A shrug.

"Lifespans have increased again and the others aren't done yet."

Zack smiled sheepishly and, scrubbing the back of his neck with one hand, said, "Oh yeah. I guess Humanity is actually getting pretty close to where it was before..." His smile faded, "Well," He went on, "Lets get this over with."

Angeal nodded and took the lead. With every step they took a musical sound like disproportionately loud drops meeting the water rang out. As such Angeal could hear Zack's anxiousness behind him and shook his head at the younger man's enthusiasm to be going back to the living world. At first Zack, like the others, had been content to be... Well... Dead, but after awhile the energetic man had become extremely board. So when the Cetra told him that there was something coming that could destroy the world and there was no one to stop it – Cloud and the others had been preoccupied with another catastrophe at the time – he had jumped on the opportunity to be doing something about it.

So why did they approach him? Because he was already proven to be able to Manifest as both a wolf and in the form he had been born in and had the necessary and talents to get the job done.

"We're here." Angeal announced.

Zack looked down, then up at Angeal in disbelief.

"Just don't drown." The older man said a moment before his wings appeared, one of which he then used to swat Zack into the water they were standing on.

There was only enough time for the former SOLDIER to make a startled sound of protest before he was crashing through the clear surface and back into Life. Strong currents trying to tug him in every direction told Zack that he was now back on the living plain... And in the middle of a starting storm. He was also out in the middle of a large (and cold) body of water. Zack was not happy (although he was glad that there was no rain as yet).

He quickly got himself oriented and swam to the surface and, not for the first time, was glad that he had all of the enhancements he does. Getting his head above the waves he shook it and looked around as he bobbed on the waves. Great. And he had no idea which way land was.

Zack was now standing waist-deep in calm, body-temperature water with Angeal standing back-to-back with him. All around them was nothing but a whiteness that swallowed everything else and held them both in a gentle calmness.

"When you leave this space swim straight ahead – the nearest land is in that direction." Angeal told him, "Go quickly; the storm is going to be getting worse."

"Got it."

Zack came out of the White Space and immediately started swimming. As the waves tried to batter him and suck him under he stayed unerringly on course and kept going. It took two hours – in which he wondered what it is that he's got to do this time – for Zack to reach land. He walked onto the sandy beach (which was making an odd squeaking sound) as he Manifested clothes on himself and dropped himself amid the grasses to look around and figure out where (and possibly when) he was. A little ways away he noticed a few plants with long leaves growing together. They were twenty-one centimeters tall with elongated leaves that had serrations. Growing along some stems were clusters of two to four small flowers with five white petals each. Zack identified them as being Sand Cherries.

He settled himself onto his back, the sand squeaking as he moved, and stared up at the sky just as the rain began to fall.

"Squeaking sand..." He noted aloud, "Sand Cherries... Big body of water... Lake Michigan?"

No answer. Great. And the rain was really starting to come down. With a sigh he got to his feet, turned around and started heading inland.

Since the day he had died Zack had been been able to see anything wherever the Lifestream existed. He had watched the Human race create civilizations that colonized Mars before crumbling back into dust. He had seen peoples that could have been great simply fade away. He had witnessed myths being made (and been at the center of more than a few). In the time that Zack had watched the planet and his race struggle, triumph and fall once more he had come to a simple conclusion; people usually can't save or help themselves, endlessly repeat their mistakes in the belief that the outcome will be different and are generally self-destructive. As such people like himself exist to save and/or help them. Or the people who will save and/or help them (as he did with Cloud).

About ten thousand years ago had been the closest call they'd had to date (at least since they had died; the incident with Chaos and Omega held that title for while they were alive). That was when the entire planet had been reshaped – literally. All of the continents had been rearranged and reshaped, the planet tipped three degrees and civilization obliterated.

Since dying all of them had seen the Human race go through alot and wondered if there would ever be a time when they were no longer needed.

Zack finally made it too a town and collapsed under a tree where he listened to the sound of the rain simply because he could; it was something that he hadn't been able to do in awhile. Nearby a young woman saw him and came running up to him. She shook his shoulder, concerned for him. He opened his eyes to see who the offending hand belonged too and smiled when he came face-to-face with a pretty blond with blue eyes wearing a pink hairband. A part of him wished that it was Aerith crouched beside him. He shoved the thought aside.

"Well, aren't you a lovely sight." He commented to the blond. She blushed.

"Zack Fair, I take it?" The young woman asked.

"Guilty as charged." He replied.

She sighed and said blandly, "Aerith Gainsborough has been expecting you."

Zack couldn't help it as his smile spread wider across his face; Aerith may not want to see him anymore, but he definitely wants to see her. Maybe this time he can fix things with her and get it right.

"Lead the way." He told the blond.

A/N: Alrighty then! This is the first time that I have written these characters so please tell me what you think and if I goofed their personalities at all. If I did please explain - if you can - how I goofed it so that I may correct the error.