It's been some time now since I lost my brother Zack and left to live a normal life. Yet, even living a normal life has its complications. I understand he died back then, but it's as if he's still watching over me, like an angel. Well that's what he would call it. I even remember his last words to me:
'I'll be back, I promise.' That was the last time I ever saw him, living anyway. Ever since then, I've hated the word 'promise', and now everyone I know avoids saying that word around me.
Now, I'm walking amongst the waste of Midgar; or what's left of it anyway. I often come down here to think and let out my anger. Where I live can get very stressful, as the so-called 'man of the house' is never home, leaving me to take care of any pests that come into the bar and cause trouble. You could say that I'm a kind of tomboy, as I never wear skirts or dresses, at least since Zack died, and I kick the guy's asses if they start making trouble. I guess it's just my past life taking over, as I used to fight all the time, and now a massive change to this, like an old dog that can't chase his tail anymore. Typical really, besides, what do you expect from a former SOLDIER, 1st Class.
The people I'm living with now are well... like a family, but not a full family, if you know what I mean. See, there's me, the protective one. Tifa's the money earner and hard worker; Marlene, the one who always knows what to say. Barret, who we don't see much of, but he instantly shows his place when he's home. Finally, there's the one who never comes home and spends his days sulking; none other than Cloud. Not making him seem like an enemy of mine, we're actually close friends. Well we were. It just annoys me how he is spending his life since Zack and Aerith's deaths, which happened two years ago. I know what he's feeling as I lost my older brother, but I'm not spending my days moping around, that's not what he would have wanted for me to do.
To tell the truth, Cloud and I... we go way back. See it was back when I was in SOLDIER; Cloud was still and infantryman, but it didn't stop us from being friends. When Zack and I first met Cloud, it was more like an accident, as we crashed in a Shinra helicopter and ended up walking the rest of the way through snowing mountains and such to get to our destination. This was when we met Cloud for the first time, as he was able to keep up with us, better than Tseng and the other infantryman. He then told us that he was a 'country-man too'. Ever since then Cloud has been like a second brother to me as I've protected him the whole way. Yet, now he is really pushing my patience with his complete disinterested attitude for everything.