Everyone who knows Final Fantasy VII knows the story of how one seemingly simple mission to Niflheim changed the lives of Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, and Sephiroth forever. Yet few knew what kind of person Zack was when he first enlisted into the Shin-Ra military and the friends that he made along with Cloud. Follow the story of Zack and his gang from his country boy beginnings to his final demise.
Chapter 1
The late afternoon sun was shining brightly and warmly over the small town of Gongaga. An energetic young Zack saunters nonchalantly through the scattered wooden homes of his hometown as he carries a bundle of groceries cradled in a paper bag to his house at the far end of town. He passes a group of teenagers playing around with a ball, all of which turn and wave as he walks by. With his hands full, Zack couldn't wave back and responds with a friendly smile instead. Being in a small town like Gongaga, everyone knew everyone so it was very easy to notice a new face. Zack didn't mind the familiarity of it too much, but at times he wished that something new happened more often. The last such event was a Shin-Ra truck passing by the other week, which was somewhat exciting, but not as exciting as Zack wanted to be.
Once home, Zack gently lays the groceries on the kitchen table and looks around his home to find that no one was around.
"Mom? Dad?" he calls out loudly.
"Zack! Are you back already?"
A woman with long brown hair tied back walks into the kitchen wearing dirty boots, khaki pants, a green t-shirt, and a white apron that wasn't quite white anymore.
"Were you working in the garden again?" wonders Zack as he takes a seat and begins taking out his purchases from the paper bag.
"Mmm," his mother nods in response. "The tomatoes are coming out really nice this season. Maybe we'll have spaghetti in the spring."
Zack's mouth waters at the prospect of deliciously saucy noodles and meatballs wreaking savory havoc on his taste buds. If there's anything he loves most, it was his mother's awesome cooking, always made with the freshest ingredients from her well-tended garden and the town's butcher shop.
"Where's dad?" he finally asks upon noticing a missing face in this family scene.
"He's out patrolling with the other men again," answers the woman as she grabs some ingredients and began preparing dinner. "Took his favorite rifle and everything."
"I want to go patrolling, too," pouts Zack, putting his head on the table and giving his trademark sad puppy eyes with his bangs flopped over his face.
"You are much too young to be holding a weapon of any sort," the woman says, turning around to poke her son's nose lightly with a finger. "Besides, you're not allowed to start patrolling until after you turn 16."
"But that's 3 years AWAAAAYYYY!" wailed Zack, taking his head off the table. He brings his hands to his face and drags down his cheeks. "I'll be grey in the face by that time."
"I take offense to that," his mother huffs playfully, putting her hands on her hips. She chuckles and pats her son's spikey head. "Don't worry, Zack. Three years will pass very quickly before you know it."
"It's not passing quickly enough," grumbles Zack.
A set of loud footsteps interrupts the mood as a tall, burly man with short black hair and an eight o' clock shadow comes through the door of their serene abode.
"Zack," greeted the man as he stood there with worn down boots and brown pants held up by tan suspenders. A rifle lay over his right shoulder as his hand held it at the handle with fingers far away from the trigger. If one would add a coonskin cap to the figure, he'd look like something out of a western legend. "How was the grocery shopping?"
"It was allright," Zack answers back, proudly crossing his hands behind his head. "Got everything mom needed."
"That's good," responds his father with a smile and patting the boy on the head. He places the gun upon his gun rack and turns to face his wife. "So what's for dinner today, Rose?"
"Well, thanks to Zack, we're having steak and garlic mash potatoes today," the woman smiles sweetly.
"Great! I need some meat and potatoes in me after what happened today," exclaimed the man, stretching his aching body out.
"Did something happen out there, Jack?" wonders Rose as she places a skillet on the stove, her hazel eyes brimming with worry.
"Ah, James from two houses down decided to start his son's patrolman training today," the man scratches his head.
"But isn't Daniel the same age as Zack?" noted the woman.
"Yeah," sighs Jack. "Apparently Daniel convinced James somehow that he was ready. Turns out that boy still needs to mature some more before he'll have the right mindset to even touch a gun."
"He didn't get hurt, did he?" gasps Rose, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Nah, he's fine, more or less," assures Jack. "The boy would be bandersnatch food right now if I hadn't reached him in time. But it was a darn close call, though." He looks over at his son who had been sitting quietly. He could see a look in his eyes that said he wasn't exactly happy to hear the news. "And that, my boy, is why you're not touching a weapon until you're 16."
"Darn Daniel…" Zack grumbles disappointedly, putting his arms on the kitchen table and laying his head on them. "Ruining my chances…"
"You don't pick apples before they're ready, Zack," says his father, patting Zack on the head. "They're just not as good as the ones that are."
"I guess…" utters Zack.
But any discouragement he felt was instantly vaporized by the scent of medium rare beef and fluffy mash potatoes being pushed in front of his face by a smiling Rose.
The next day, Zack stood outside of his house dressed in his usual plain white t-shirt, blue jean pants, and dark brown hiking boots. With an axe at the ready, an innocent chunk of wood stood propped up on a man-made stump before him. Gripping the tool's long staff tightly with leather-gloved hands, he nails the chunk of wood squarely in the middle, splitting it into two manageable pieces. As he sets up another large piece of wood to chop, a gently breeze wafts through the area, cooling the sweat that was trickling down his head and back. He welcomes the cooling sensation with open arms as he sends yet another piece of wood flying in two directions.
After finishing his chores, he took his gloves off to fan himself. The day was mildly warm, but it could quickly get quite hot if one were to stand in the open for a long period of time like he had been doing. He goes to the town shop to purchase a bottle of water and steps out the wooden building just as a bunch of children and teenagers are heading towards the ice cream man and his cart. He then hears someone call out his name and turns to see his neighbor Daniel approaching him.
"Daniel," Zack greets back.
"What have you been up to today?" wonders the brown-headed boy.
"Ah, just finished chopping up some firewood for my family and came here for a drink," answers Zack, tossing his now empty water bottle into the recycling bin nearby. "So… I heard you talked your dad into letting you patrol the other day."
"Oh, that," chuckles Daniel as he scratches his head nervously. "Well, I mean, my dad has been teaching me how to use a gun and all so I figured I knew enough to go on patrol with him, ya know. Didn't think the kickback was that hard so I sort of fell and that's when the bandersnatch rushed at me. If it wasn't for your dad, I would've been monster food."
"Yeah, he did said about as much at dinner last night," responds Zack, crossing his arms.
"So, yeah, I'm going to join the Shin-Ra army," Daniel declares half-heartedly. Zack could tell the patrol mishap was preventing the teenager from being more enthusiastic about the announcement. "Once I get enough combat experience, I'll come back and make my dad proud."
"Why not just get into SOLDIER instead?" wonders Zack. "Skip the army altogether."
"What are you talking about?" Daniel says as he raises an eyebrow at his neighbor. "You can't get into SOLDIER unless you're in the Shin-Ra army."
"Seriously?" Zack cocks his head incredulously at the sound of this new information.
"Of course," replies Daniel. "SOLDIER members are picked from Shin-Ra infantrymen. They're not going to pick some nobody country boys like us out of the blue, ya know."
"That does make sense now that I think about it," ponders Zack, bringing a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "So I have to be an infantryman before I become a member of SOLDIER, huh."
"You gonna join me?" asks Daniel. "Supposedly the recruit truck is coming back here in a few more days. A bunch of the other guys and I are going on it."
"I don't know," says Zack, putting a hand on his hip. "My dad won't even let me patrol with him until I'm older. I highly doubt he'll be okay with me becoming a soldier. I'm sure he'll yank me off that truck if I so much take a step on it."
"That's tough," responds Daniel. "Well, I'm going home to get ready. See ya, Zack!"
"See ya!" Zack bids with a wave of his hand.
Stepping off the shop porch, he gradually makes his way back home. He looks around at the children playing without a care in the world and adults working hard to make ends meet. It was a world Zack was born into and a scene that he's seen everyday. It was a sight of everlasting contentment that's been largely unchanged for who knows how many decades. It was then that Zack realized that this was not the life he really wants, despite how nice it is. His heart was not satisfied with the same old stuff; he wanted something more, something different. He wanted to be strong; he wanted to see the world, and most of all, he wanted to be a hero that surpasses even the might of Sephiroth, his decided rival in all things great.
But all that was not going to happen by just staying in one place wishing it would happen. Zack was determined to make it happen and he plans to do something about it. He was generally a good kid and never gotten into fights before. Surely that would be enough to convince his parents.
Right?
That evening, when Zack and his parents sat down for dinner, the teenager wonders how he should bring up the subject. He toys around with the spaghetti on his plate, thinking deeply that this would be the last good meal he would enjoy in a long time.
"So, Zack."
Zack's eyes perk up and aim towards his father. "Yeah, dad?"
"I have a friend name Bill who owns a chocobo farm on the western continent," began Jack. "Now, I know you're at that age when you want to explore the world and learn new things so this is a great opportunity for you to do just that."
"Chocobos?" repeated Zack. He wasn't too happy with the surprise, but he didn't totally hate the idea either.
"Yep," responds the man. "Unlike motorcycles and cars, chocobos can go practically everywhere. You'll be able to learn the tricks of the trade and everything. How's that sound?"
"Uh, great, dad," agrees Zack, although half-heartedly.
"Wonderful," exclaims Jack, grinning proudly. "You'll start this spring. I'll send a message to Bill to let him know you're coming."
"Well, actually, speaking of spring…" Zack turns to his parents and gives them his patented puppy eyes as he thinks of a good way to sell his point to his parents. "I heard Daniel was going to join the Shin-Ra ar—"
"You're not joining him and the others," Jack interrupts nonchalantly.
"Why not?" exclaims Zack, feeling beaten before he even started.
"Soldiers are nothing more than political pawns and corporate tools," answers Jack.
"But I won't be. I'm going to become a hero," argues Zack. He tries carefully to keep away from the subject of SOLDIER since he knew that would make his father want to tie him up in his room and not let him go. "I'm going to fight and get stronger."
"Get stronger and become nothing more than a heartless killer," asserts the man firmly. "No, no child of mine is becoming anyone's military dog, never to be seen again."
"I'm not going to be like any other soldier," urges Zack. "I promise I'll come back."
"Zack, listen to me," says Jack. "This isn't like me and the other men going out on patrol to protect the town from monsters. This is the army, the Shin-Ra army, no less. They don't aim to protect folks like you, your mother, and me. They have their own agenda and they'll sacrifice lives in order to make sure their plans go through."
"How do you know? You weren't a soldier or anything," asserts Zack.
"No, but I've lived in Midgar. I've lived in the city and I've seen it happen, Zack," responds the man. "You're not going to join the Shin-Ra military, you are going to help Bill out at the chocobo farm and that's final."
Zack tries to think of another argument to throw at his father, but his young mind could come up with nothing that could stand a chance of changing the man's mind. Silenced by his father's final decision, Zack succumbs to finishing off his dinner and retiring to his room.
After dinner, while Zack was in his room, Rose joins her husband on their living room couch as a blazing fire roared in the fireplace.
"Don't be too upset with him, honey," Rose urges. "He's just in that phase where teenagers think they're invincible. You went through that, too, you know."
"Yes, I know," sighs Jack. "I guess… I should be grateful he doesn't want to join SOLDIER at least."
"You know, speaking of chocobos," began Rose, snuggling closer to her husband. "I have a friend who lives in Nibelheim and she's been writing to me about how her son's been getting into all sorts of trouble as of late. Maybe if we introduce Zack to him and send them both to Bill's chocobo farm, that'll take Zack's mind off of wanting to join Shin-Ra."
"That's not a bad idea, actually," contemplated Jack. "It could work."
"I'm glad you think so," smiles Rose. "I'm thinking we could hold off on sending Zack to the farm until after we take a trip to Nibelheim. It'll do him good to see the world outside Gongaga, too."
"Should we tell him now?" wonders Jack.
"No, he's probably still upset right now," thought Rose. "We'll tell him in the morning. He should be cooled off by then."
From his bedroom window, Zack looks up at the stars shining brightly in the pitch-black sky. His parents have already made it loud and clear to him that he was not to join the Shin-Ra army at all. But three years was too long to wait to become a patrolman like his father and Zack wanted to start his hero's journey ASAP if there was any chance of being as strong as Sephiroth. There was only one solution to this problem and that was to run away. Joining Daniel and the other town boys was not an option, as his father would definitely find him near the recruit truck. The only way to really pull this off was to go to the nearest town and get on the recruit truck there. Pulling out a geographical map and spreading it over his desk, Zack sees that the next town was Hoku Village, which lay between Gongaga and the Corel area. He's never been outside of Gongaga before so it is going be tough to figure out where to go. Fortunately he did very well in geography at school so it shouldn't be too hard for him.
But still, it won't be easy to leave the place where he was born and grew up in. Running away from his family and Gongaga meant never tasting his mother's wonderful cooking or seeing his childhood friends ever again. He would have to give up learning how to ride a chocobo and the opportunity to become a patrolman like his father. But on the flip side, he would be able to travel the world, learn new things, make new friends, and maybe, just maybe, become a world-class hero just like his rival, Sephiroth.
He thinks about what his father said earlier and contemplates on the meaning of it all.
"There's no way it's like what he said," thought Zack. "I'll prove him wrong, he'll see."
Gazing over at a photo of his family sitting neatly within a frame on his desk, Zack grabs his travel sack and begins filling it up.
A/N: Yes, I named Zack's parents after the two main characters from the 1997 movie, Titanic. I just think it'd be amusing considering the similarities between Jack and Rose and Zack and Aerith. (And the fact both the movie and Final Fantasy VII came out in the U.S. in the same year.)
By the way, Hoku Village is NOT a canon town in the world of Final Fantasy VII. I just made it up for the sake of this fanfiction.