Zack ran, he had been pursued for Shinra's forces for days. But he had finally lost them. He was free... for the moment. But what did he have to live for? When he had escaped from that hell of a lab Hojo had kept him in, he found out that over four years had passed. He had nothing left, he couldn't go home for fear of bringing Shinra down on his parents. He had been a loyal SOLDIER member, but had been betrayed by Shinra. It turned out that Shinra had been evil from the start. He had learned that his hometown had a quarter of its' population wiped out by a reactor accident, and that a town called Corel was burnt to the ground. Wutai had been brutally stripped of all its' materia and had been reduced to a tourist spot. Shinra was slowly killing the planet. Only one thought kept him going.
Aerith.
It was a mantra in his brain ever since he finished things with Genesis. He remembered Cissnei's words from so long ago. 'Aerith is the one under watch. She's an ancient, the last of her kind.' He felt a chill go down his spine when he thought of her. He had asked Tseng to watch her for him. But knowing what he knew now about Shinra and their plans, he had the horrible feeling that Tseng was the last person he should have asked. The thought of Aerith in one of Hojo's labs, as he tried to use her to create his 'perfect being' reviled and terrified him. He realized that the only reason that they hadn't captured her already is that they wanted Aerith to reach her full potential before being subjected to their horrific experiments. From the files he recovered in the rebuilt mansion, ancients usually realized their full powers a bit after their 21st birthday, which was any day now. So as he ran from Junon harbor, he prayed. Prayed the Shinra wouldn't find him, prayed he could make it Midgar, prayed that Aerith would not come to any harm, but most of all he prayed that she had not moved on. Four years was a long time, and for all he knew she could believe he had been killed or worse that he had met someone else and had forgot about her.
As if he could ever forget her. Her face, her smile was the one thing that kept him sane that terrible place. His one wish that he would somehow find his way back to Aerith and that she would still love him as much as he loved her. His other wish, that was somehow, someway, they could find a way to their happy ending. With that thought in his brain, he realized he would have to take a break. Even with his Mako enhanced body, he could not push himself any longer. Getting himself killed would do either him or Aerith no good. So he made camp and lay down, intending to catch a few hours sleep before continuing his journey. His last thoughts were of Aerith and how much he wanted to see her smile again and feel her kiss once more.