Introduction

Final Fantasy VII (copyright Squaresoft) is a fantastic game that has been the discussion of so many debates for RPGs… even if the game was made 5 years ago. It is a game of love, life, death, friendship, corruption, evil, war, and everything else in-between. It is only an understatement that this game is truly a masterpiece. This game has changed the way I am. Silly, it seems that a video game may do that. But, books change peoples lives, TV shows change peoples lives, movies change peoples lives, paintings and drawings change peoples lives, why can't a video game, do it as well? Over 60 hours of loving and hating characters, exploring worlds made up in dreams, and looking at objects into a completely new frame of mind. A game that I don't even consider a game, but an experience in it's self. That said, Final Fantasy VII has done that to me.

The story takes 6 years before the game, revolving around Aeris, Tseng, and Zack. Since, there is very few information here; I have made a lot of things up. Alas, I have tried staying as true to the game as possible. They may be right, they may not be right, but this is how I think things came to be, or, a way of how things came to be. I may have pushed some ideas, or pushed the fate of luck and coincidence, but since the games is full of all of that on it's own, I'm entitled to add a bit of it on my own.

I had a lot of freedom here, so I hope to cover as many plot holes as I can, or just to add another twist to the whole experience. Enjoy.

Squaresoft copyrights all characters, places, and ideas revolving to the game Final Fantasy VII.

CHAPTER 1

Tseng sighed in disgust, as his friend was staring at all of the people and poorly laid out markets along the Wall Market. Living in the slums himself, he found all of these sights boring, dirty, and as lowlife as one human being could get. Alas, his friend and partner didn't think quite in those terms.

"For God's sake, Zack, we have a train to catch, let's get going, or we'll never make it back to Headquarters in time," Tseng snapped at his friend with long, wild raven colored hair. He turned around after watching a couple of prostitutes pass by, making their way back to the Honey Bee Inn. He grinned largely with large blue eyes.

"Ah, c'mon pal! You know I've never been to the Midgar slums before! All I've seen is that damn Shinra building and all the trains. This," He shakes his head towards the giggling prostitutes who saw him, "Is where everything lies!"

Tseng sighed, and grabbed Zack by the arm, "And I'm sure that your boss will be pleased to find that you've been down here looking at every single girl who passed by. Now, let's go," He stared into his friend's face, and then started off towards the direction of the train station. Zack stood there a moment, turned back to the girls, waved, and then ran up to join his partner.

"Wow… I've heard about the slums before, but this is so good! Sure, I've heard all about stories of people getting mugged, killed, raped, and all sorts of things. But this place doesn't even seem close to any of the stories I've heard back at home!"

"You don't know anything, Zack. You haven't been around long enough to know anything. Wipe that stupid grin off your face," Tseng remarked and turned to look at Zack while they were walking in the debris of trash and junk around them.

"You've just turned SOLDIER first class last week. Don't go thinking you are top shit," Zack was slightly surprised at the crude remark from Tseng, as swearing wasn't something Tseng thought as "polite."

"The slums are even more dangerous than what you've heard in your hometown. At anytime, these guys in their gangs will come down, and kill you. Even a SOLDIER first class. Even Sephiroth if it ever came down to it. This is how these people live, by killing. It goes with the old saying, 'kill or be killed.'" Tseng concluded harshly, and nothing more after that. He kept walking as his friend stopped a moment to think of what he just said. Zack stared at the back of Tseng's long, black hair that flowed against his new blue suit. Tseng, a new recruit of the Turks, has been slightly uptight about it. Zack then turned around once more to get one last glimpse of the Wall Market, and then again hurried to Tseng's side. Zack, quite lost for words when Tseng looked at him, but Tseng in understanding, nodded at him, and the both of them continued to the old Train Graveyard.

"Last train to Shinra Headquarters leaving in 1 minute. I repeat, last train heading off to Shirna Headquarters leaving in one minute. Please take a seat once you enter your cabin and put all luggage away on the top compartment. Thank you," There was a large click of the loud speaking, and the train was steaming with mako and the horn blew. Tseng and Zack ran fast past people with hurried excuses and jumped into a car, handed one of the conductors their tickets, and made their way towards the Shinra executive seats. Luxury at it's best. They both sat at opposite ends on the seats, and looked out the window, seeing the train starting to depart slowly from the station. Zack was beaming.

"Exciting for ya?" Tseng gave him a nasty look, and turned back to the window as the train started to enter into the tunnel that circled around Midgar. Zack put on a mock apologetic face, "Awww… did I ruin your day by being late? Relax, man! We have our dorms, anyways, and today is an off day. Tomorrow is when everything starts up." Tseng said nothing, and Zack gave up on making conversation with his friend, and sat there, waiting for a stewardess to pass by with something to eat. Once she passed, Zack was enjoying a turkey sub and some water, while Tseng sipped slowly at his soda. Zack knew that Tseng was preoccupied with something, but knew not why.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly. Tseng looked at Zack with a long, cold stare.

"I am just thinking of everything. This new job of mine must be getting to me, I just need time to think." Tseng soften up and took a sip of his soda, and then turned back to the window once more. Zack sighed and sank back into his seat.

"Ya know, when am I ever gonna get more than one sentence from you?" He murmured and continues to his sub, stomach growling with hunger. Tseng finished his soda, placed it on the oak table in front of him, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. Zack sighed again, and pulled out a magazine that was on the door in a plastic bag with the Shinra logo on it. He flipped to a page, and started to read while the train kept going through its route.

"Tseng, wake up,"

His friend's voice and a slight shake suddenly awakened him from him. Tseng blinked a few times, ran his ran past his hair, and nodded towards Zack. The both of them tighten up the cabin, and exited out of the train into a large Square of people hurrying back home and to catch some trains. The "Loveless" posters were covering the buildings of the square. Zack looked up at them and smiled. He then noticed two other streetwalkers and gives the two girls a dashing smile. Tseng sighed, and looked back up to the poster. Zack did too after waving to the girls.

"Ever see that play?"

"No."

Zack chuckled, and Tseng rolled his eyes. They stepped off the platform of the train and started their route back to Headquarters.

"How 'bout movies? See that 'Terror On Terror Hill' one?" He grinned. Tseng shook his head and kept walking down the alley.

"Jeez man, at least take some joke! You're way too serious," And with that, Zack gave a friendly punch to Tseng's arm. Tseng turned around fast and had fiery brown eyes.

"Please leave me alone. I thought that was clear in the…" He looked passed Zack's shoulder with a shocked expression from those hard eyes. Zack turned around to see what Tseng was looking at.

Among the crowd of people, he saw a girl, who looked to be slightly younger than he was. She had a long pink dress on with a red jacket over that. Amber brown hair, and a slender figure to herself, she was holding a wicker basket that had some flowers in them. Red roses and some lilies, to be exact. Zack smiled, turned back to Tseng, and then started to walk towards the girl who just finished selling a customer a flower. Tseng stayed behind, and pale, just looking at the flower girl.

"One flower for one gil!" The girl called out with a sweet smile. Zack put on a great grin, and walked up to her.

"Oh, hello there. Would you like to buy a flower? They don't grow anywhere else in Midgar," She smiled as Zack stepped up to her. He smiled and nodded.

"One gil, please," She held out a red rose to him.

"May I have two? My friend over there is a bit tense, and he might like one," He shouldered back to Tseng, who was still standing there with the same pale expression. The flower girl giggled.

"Not at all! Infact, your friend's flower is free," She giggled again, and took Zack's one gil, and handed him a Lily and a red rose.

"Enjoy them!" She called back, and then walked down the street, calling out for people to buy some flowers. Zack smiled as he saw her walk on by, and returned to Tseng, who looked pretty grim by now.

"Here, take the Lily. My favorite flower is the red rose, anyways," He said, and put the Lily in Tseng's breast pocket. Tseng flinched quickly as if the flower had bitten him. Zack chuckled.

"It's alright, just a flower. Yours was free, anyways," He teased, and held his red rose in his hand.

Tseng stood there for a minute longer, shook his head as just he had seen a ghost, and turned back to the alley that led down to Headquarters. Zack followed besides him and kept looking at the rose.

"That was awfully nice of her to give yours free. I mean, one flower for 1 gil? That's hard to live on… do ya know her?" He questioned Tseng. Tseng kept looking ahead and shook his head.

"We are almost at Headquarters, and I have a headache. I'll be going to bed. Enjoy your dinner," Tseng quietly remarked as the top of the building became visible. Zack, slightly confused on Tseng's attitude, shook his head at it, and proceeded into the building, and down to the cafeteria for something to eat, while Tseng made his way up to the dorms, rubbing his temples, but held the Lily in his hand.