It had been over an hour since he left the old collapsed Shinra building behind and had set off on his journey. The scenery that surrounded him was frightening, to say the least. With all the run down houses, tall buildings that were either broken or had collapsed on either side of the street, green colored mist. Not to mention a whole plate had sunken down to the slum's level and ponds of liquid Mako all over the place, it was like a scene from a horror movie. Sure he read all about what destruction had befallen Midgar in the database, but he never imagined it looking like this at all. The lovely city that was burned into his memory was much more lively and active, in contrast to the image in front of him now.
Slowly, he made his way down the rubble-filled streets avoiding the small ponds of Mako along the way as well; a much as he was concerned he had four years worth of that stuff still stuck in his hair, and he did not want any more of it. He made sure that his movements were as careful as he could make them, what with his sleeping lover, who was now sporting the SOLIDER 2nd class uniform like himself, on his back and all. A bag across his chest as to not bother her and a scabbard with his sword buckled safely on his belt for easy access. It felt uncomfortable for him to have the sword on his side and wished that he could place it on his back like he was used to with the Bust Sword, but his back was currently occupied. Plus he had been so used to using the massive sword that any other smaller swords, like the SOLDIER Sword, feel too light to use. He was worried that the small weapon would fly off his grip because of the amount of strength he was used to exerting during battles. He was thankful however that no monster had attacked them yet; because if they did he would have had a very hard time not only defending himself and Aerith but also fighting off the monsters.
Soon enough, and after an hour of walking, he reached the Sector 0 train station, which used to be the only mode of transport for people to get from the upper plate to the slum and vise verse. Halting, he looked around the crumbled area, taking in what memories he had of this place and wondered where to go next. Edge was the final destination, but it was still too far to reach in a single day, plus the sky was turning orange, and he was sure that staying out at night was a terrible idea. He needed some place safe enough to sleep in for the night, somewhere close by too as to not waste any more time outside. Then he thought of Aerith's church, for one reason or another the monsters never dared to step foot in, so it was the best place to rest in for now. With that in mind, he carefully descended onto the empty rail and continued his way down to the slums.
While on the move, he kept Glancing at his sleeping passenger, smiling at how peaceful she looked. Her relaxed expression, her soft breathing, gentle beating heart, and warmth on his back was very comforting. He had missed her so much and was finally going to have the chance to speak with her after so long; he just hopes that she would hear him out first. Turning his attention forward again, he tried his best not to slip off the dangerous looking rails that were leading him to his desired destination. Soon enough, the city of Edge came to view, the city that the surviving citizens of Midgar had built after the Meteor incident years ago.
Everyone he knew, including Cloud, is probably living there now. He imagined his friend working on an odd job rather than just sitting behind a boring old counter and managing a store. Swinging a sword or gunning down a beast, running around for some strange errand, or even building at a construction site would fit the guy better than dodging a bargain from an old lady. His overly wild imagination wondered if the blond Chocobo haired man still gets stomachaches after long car rides, or if he was still the quiet, friendly yet shy but ambitious guy that he met a long time ago. Last he saw him; the blond was almost in tears after he told him to live on without him.
Other than Cloud, he started to wonder about how his parents were doing. He did promise himself to call them once he had a signal, but then he remembered that they weren't that big of fans to technology; so they didn't bother getting a phone. He had read about the Mako reactor exploding at the time before his last visit to the region, and if his memory serves him well, Cissnei did meet them, so they were fine back then. But what about now? Were they alive and well? If so then were they looking for him? Or did they forget about him? Or did they believe what lies Shinra has told them about him being dead? The later is probably what they were told about him, typical of Shinra to spread that news and exclude the info that they experimented on him for 4 years, hunt him down, put him on the verge of death, and experiment on him again. They just couldn't let him die in peace.
Feeling disgusted by the thought, he shook his head to reduce his frustration on the subject. He did not want to think of it right now; he needed to focus on the railroad in front of him. First order of business was getting to the church safely before it got dark and rest. Afterward, he could think all he wanted about the Shinra subject and any other thought he deemed necessary. He could even vent out his frustration on the local beast population if he needed to.
Moving around large chunks of rock, metal rusted beams, as well as pile upon piles of metal scraps and whatever material he couldn't remember the name of at the moment; Zack sighed in relief at the fact that he was finally in the slums, well what's left of them anyways. His legs were sore from the long walk, and the running he had to do when he bumped into those monsters that looked like houses; those things just creep him out no matter how old he got.
"Sorry if it got bumpy a few times back there. Just hang in there a bit longer Aerith, We'll be at your church very soon."
The gloom scenery around him was slowly turning orange, thanks to the setting sun in the distance. No matter how beautiful the setting made the barren landscape look, nor how peaceful it made the harsh environment surrounding him look it all reminded him of one thing, he was running out of time. Sore or not, he needed to quicken his pace.
He needed to get them both out of the open and into a shelter fast. His heart beat was getting rapid by the second, 'this situation was familiar' his mind added increasing the beating even more. The calm winds were stuck in his lungs, the sound of his boots crushing metal and twigs, the weight of his friend and supplies weighed heavily on him. His thoughts added a few things of their own as well, like the sound of helicopters and soldiers yelling faintly behind him. He knew they weren't there, and he kept telling himself that he wasn't being chased by Shinra, but he couldn't stop thinking of it. He didn't stop running till he saw a familiar structure in the distance just a few miles away from him.
He made it, it took him hours of walking, descending dangerous looking rails, running from his over imaginative mind, and fighting off monsters of all shapes and sizes, but he finally reached the desired destination. Aerith's church it still stood where he remembered it to be, looking a bit damaged than it used to, but it was still stable enough to be used and safe from whatever creatures that lurked out at night.
Entering the large doors, he noticed the changes immediately. His Buster Sword was stabbed in a flat stone monument overlooking a pool of water where Aerith's flowers were. Some benches were damaged beyond repair while others were untouched by whatever caused the destruction. He carefully made his way closer to the pool of water ahead, observing his surroundings closely as he walked further into the building. He stopped at a sturdy looking bench first and placed his sleeping partner on it so that he had more mobility. He stared at her sleeping face and smiled, moving away the bangs that covered her eyes. Then he leaned closer and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead; ex or not, he couldn't help it, this was an opportunity he simply couldn't pass up.
"I'll be right back Angel, this won't take long promise."
He leaned away slowly to avoid startling her. His fingers combed through her long and slightly wet hair as he walked away from her sleeping form, making his way to the mantle overlooking the calm pool.
He stood in front of the big sword in awe as he looked over all the details that were once hidden under the rust, blood, and mud. It seems to be cleaned very recently, most probably by Cloud. And it shined so brightly because of the polished finish. Did Cloud place his sword here to mark his grave? If so then it's in the wrong spot, because he died on the outskirts of Midgar. What was the reason for Cloud to leave his sword here and not use or, at the very least, carry it around? Too heavy perhaps? Or maybe he left it here to display? Well, whatever the reason the blond had, Zack was glad he decided to leave it well kept at the church.
Zack pulled out the SOLDIER Sword he'd been carrying out of its scabbard with a grin. Then he also pulled out the Buster Sword from its stone mantle. Swapped the two weapons, he took the large sword and magnetized it on his back.
"This is more like it. I never liked those SOLDIER standard swords to begin with. Now, what else is there around here?"
He now turned his attention to the pool of clean water, it's been on his mind since he first saw it after all. It didn't smell, it looked normal enough to be mistaken for regular water, and it didn't taste different from regular water either; But he felt the presence of the life stream in it somehow. Since the smell didn't cause him any pain or any side effects, he used his cupped hands to scoop up a bit and drink since he was thirsty, then he waited for a bit. No side effects, but it did make him feel slightly energized so he figured that it was some kind of healing pool; healing for what he didn't have the slightest idea, but he'll still take some with him just in case they need it. Digging into his backpack, he pulled out a canteen that he found in the supply pods and dunked it into the water to fill.
As it slowly filled, he looked over at the water's surface again and spotted the familiar flower petals floating on its rippling surface. He snickered thinking that whoever dug this, good intention or bad, was going to face Aerith's wrath. The girl loved her flowers and had worked very hard in order to get them to grow in such a difficult environment. She was pretty mad at him once for falling on her flower when they first met after all. So who knows what she'll do if she saw this.
Twisting the canteen lid tightly after making sure it was filled to the brim, he made his way over to the pillars near the water pool examining their stability when he mistakenly kicked something. He looked down at the source near his feet and saw an oil lamp; thankfully it was empty and dusty. It looked like someone had used the church as a shelter at some point. So it was only natural to find something like this in such a safe location, even if the outside world was anything but safe at the moment.
After finishing his inspection of the building, he went back to his sleeping lover. He unhooked his sword off the magnet and stabbed it next to the bench. Afterward, he sat next to her with a tired sigh.
"Today has been long, hasn't it. There's nothing else I can do right now except rest. It's funny now that I think about it, I didn't do anything but sleep for the past few years, and here I am saying 'I need rest.' Man, I sound old." He chuckled, throwing his head back, opening his Mako colored years to the night sky through a cracked ceiling.
"This... feels likes so unreal. I'm here, alive, sitting under the stars with you right beside me. If we ignore the fact that there are monsters outside, Then I can consider this a good dream." He breathed in the cool air, getting is lungs some nice clean air to take in before exhaling it naturally. He felt a weight suddenly on his should, causing him to jerk his head towards his side to see what it was. He relaxed afterward when he saw it was just Aerith's head resting on his shoulder. Her natural breathing and calm expression made Zack realize how tired her really was after everything he had been through since morning.
"If this is a dream, then please don't wake me up. Let me continue sleeping if this wasn't reality."
He whispered as his eyelids got heavier, staying awake any longer wasn't an option anymore. His legs and arms suddenly ached of the painful day he just had after being asleep and still for so long in that lab. He resolved to do squats and exercises before heading head first into any combat any time soon. Finally, giving into his weak state, he allowed himself to drift to slumber beside his beautiful angel.
