Death truly was a strange sensation. While living.. He had always feared it, just as it was human to fear the unknown, but now, as he was lifted as though weightless into the clouded sky by Angeal's shining form, he felt oddly peaceful. The agonizing pain he had felt before was melting away and he could feel the cool air on his face blowing away all of the agony of the bullets. Despite himself, he felt a smile playing about his lips as the rain that had fallen on him dried away and the red bloodstains cleaned themselves from his uniform. It wasn't really so bad, he thought, and his face broke into a true smile as he soared above the earth, feeling the exhilaration of flying while his own words echoed in his ears.

Those wings…I want them too. And even though things had turned out this way, things had not ended the way he had hoped, Zack felt as though he had earned his angel's wings.

"Angeal," he murmured, turning his head to look at his snowy-winged friend. Angel smiled slightly as he returned Zack's gaze. "Is this…how it felt for you?" Angeal nodded, and Zack's smile widened. "It feels…good." he said. Angeal smiled wider as well and Zack leaned his head back, closing his eyes and losing himself in the bliss of flying.

Maybe…it's not such a bad thing.. he thought. I just wish…I wish Aerith could see this sky. I know this one wouldn't frighten her.. And if it did… I could make her feel safe again.

"Hey Angeal," he said.

"Yes, Zack?" came the reply.

"There's some things… I want to do…before I go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finding Cloud was easy. He hadn't made it all that far when Zack spotted him from overhead, and at the moment he saw the young blonde haired man, he felt his heart break slightly. Cloud was limping very slowly away from where he'd left his friend's body, dragging Zack's enormous sword along the ground beside him as if he simply did not have enough strength to hold it up. Zack's blood still stained his face, and there were floods of tears mixing with the red as he stumbled along. His body shook with silent sobs and several times he fell to his knees as if he had no will to move forward at all. And when he would finally haul himself to his feet, he would cry out in an absolutely heartbroken way, like a dog whose master would never wake again. It hurt that he couldn't do anything to help him, but he also knew that Cloud must heal on his own. If everyone did the healing for him, the wound would only fester away until it ultimately destroyed him. It was strange… after caring for Cloud for so long, after dragging him all over while the boy was unconscious, Zack had developed a sense of duty when it came to protecting him. Almost like an older brother…

"Cloud.." he murmured, and reached out his hand, as if to touch the boy, but he knew that he was too far away, and if he had been close enough, it would not have made any difference. They were part of different worlds now, and Cloud would not have been able to feel or hear him. As he sadly watched his young friend trudge heartbrokenly along he caught a glimpse of something besides sorrow on Cloud's face. Could it be…determination?

"You'll make it, buddy." Zack said, even though he knew Cloud couldn't hear him. "You'll be strong, and you'll carry on for both of us. You'll be strong…. And you will become a hero. Because as long as you have honour.. And dreams… that's all you need. And I know you have both." He watched Cloud move slowly, still shaking with sobs for another moment before nodding to Angeal, and the two of them soared higher into the sky.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As hard as it was to see Cloud so distraught over his death, seeing Aerith was much harder. As he and Angeal settled in the rafters of the Church in the Slums, he had to use all of his self restraint to stop himself from jumping down and running to her. Aerith was knelt beside her bed of flowers, hugging herself tightly, tears falling freely onto the white and yellow blossoms. Her body trembled and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as if trying to block out something unpleasant. But unlike Cloud, she did not cry silently. Her sobbing began softly but slowly built in volume until she was wailing in such a heartbroken way that Zack couldn't even stop the tears falling from his own eyes.

"Aerith…" he whispered. "Aerith I'm so sorry.. I didn't even know what was happening… I didn't know you sent me those letters.. If I had.. I would have come back for you.. I would have written you back, or… or something…I'm so sorry.." As he cried silently and endured the torment of Earth's agonized mourning, he came to wonder how she had known anyway. No one back in Midgar could possibly know yet, so…how had Aerith..? Had she felt it? Had she felt his life being snuffed out like a candle, felt his soul leaving her world and passing into the one between this and the next? Pulling himself out of Angeal's restraint, he hopped down to the church floor and walked slowly toward her. The tears were slowing now, but the way they did made Zack think that they only stopped because she simply did not have any more tears left to cry. She stood up in a weary sort of way, still gazing sadly at the flowers, and Zack realized with a pang that she was cradling the flower basket he had made when they had made their flower cart.

"Zack…what happened to you…" she whispered tearfully. "What did you do to them that they would do this to you…? What could ever justify this…? Oh Zack…" A flood of fresh tears ran down her cheeks, and Zack felt his own tears beginning to flow again. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her, even though he knew she wouldn't feel it, wouldn't even know he was there.

"I'm so sorry, Aerith." he said again. "I'm so sorry." How long they stood there he didn't know, but it seemed like too short a time before Angeal cleared his throat.

"Zack, I'm sorry but…" he said. "We…need to go." Zack sighed.

"I know.." he murmured. He held Aerith for one more moment, then whispered,

"I'll wait for you. I promise."

Releasing her, he backed away, wiping the tears from his cheeks and looked at her one last time before Angeal lifted him off the ground again and they soared once more into the sky. Despite how sad it had made him to see his friends so broken up over his death, he felt…better. Like he'd finished something that it was important he do.

"Zack…" Angeal said softly. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." he replied with a nod. "I want my wings."