Broken.
Prologue.
The rain fell heavily around him, and wisps of blond hair clung to his forehead as he ripped his helmet off.
An eerie silence descended over the battlefield, a stark contrast to the deafening roar of battle that had raged just moments earlier.
The remains of his unit were littered across the small clearing, their broken bodies still and unmoving. They had been overwhelmed by a meticulously planned ambush, their enemy as unexpected as they had been unprepared. Still, they had given as good as they got, but by some cruel twist of fate, he was the sole survivor.
Sole survivor.
A sense of betrayal and dread washed over him as the gravity of these words slowly dawned upon him.
Him. The newest and most inexperienced member of their small patrol. He didn't deserve to live. If anyone, it should be Zack-
Zack. He had to find Zack. Give him a proper burial, if nothing else.
He lifted his head wearily and scanned his surroundings with lifeless eyes.
Nothing. He had almost given up hope when the slightest of movements caught his attention, at the periphery of his vision. And he was halfway across, slipping and sliding across the thick mud, his own carbine lying forgotten on the sodden ground.
He had hoped beyond hope, but he knew immediately that Zack wouldn't last the night as he stumbled to his side. A long and vicious slash ran across his chest, carving his insides open. It was a miracle he had survived as long as he did.
'Zack!' he rasped, his throat dry.
The SOLDIER stirred, shifting uncomfortably beneath the weight of his now useless armour.
'Zack!' he repeated, his voice breaking.
'..You..'
The life was already leaving his eyes as Zack made a futile attempt to sit up, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
His eyes widened in surprise as Zack grabbed a soaked tuft of hair and pulled him down.
'..I'm..not g-going to m-make it..' he whispered weakly.
'..T-take my sword..and finish him. For..for honour. And..tell her..t-that-'
'I will,' he promised, voice hoarse from the strain.
'..T-thank you.'
He pulled himself up, with no small amount of protest from his body, from the limp form of his friend, his best friend, and stood, an unfathomable rage boiling up within him.
There, his adversary stood, on the crest of a small rise, back turned, brazenly, as if mocking him. The moon cast an unearthly glow over his silhouette, and the rain gave his silver hair a shimmering, ghostly quality that defied description.
He crawled over, the rain stinging his eyes and face, to where Zack's massive sword lay and heaved it up, staggering under the weight of the blade. It was too large and too heavy for him, but by some unknown source of strength he managed as he broke into a run across the scarred ground and up the gentle slope, charging towards his hated enemy.
'SEPHIROTH!' he roared as he swung the broadsword with all the force he could muster.
The vaunted general whirled around in a flash, bringing his impossibly long katana up in a block, and he found himself falling backwards under the weight of the blow.
Moonlight glinted off Sephiroth's blade as it sliced through the pouring rain in lightning strikes, and he struggled to defend himself with Zack's unwieldy weapon.
It was all over before he could react, as the tip of Sephiroth's sword slid into his chest.
'..Foolish child. What could a mere infantryman hope to accomplish against me?'
Gritting his teeth in despair and frustration, he did his best to ignore the searing pain as he advanced along the length of the blade, inch by excruciating inch.
He could not fail in this. He would not fail.
Succeed, or die trying. Zack had taught him that much, at least.
'..Die..' he whispered.
A look of surprise and disbelief crossed Sephiroth's face as he stabbed his own blade into his adversary's abdomen.
'..You..you..' Sephiroth managed, as he staggered back.
The last thing he heard was Sephiroth's laughter, cold, bitter and full of hate, as he fell into an eternal darkness.
I did it, Zack.
I wonder..if she..would be proud of me.
A/N: Obligatory disclaimer that I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VII. All rights belong to Square Enix. I've actually written the next chapter already but need to do some minor editing before I upload it. Reviews please?
