Originally, this was simply a one-shot. But... in order to save space in my profile, I decided to turn this into a multichapter story of one-shots taking place around my second favourite Final Fantasy couple, Zack and Aerith. (First and foremost being Cloud and Tifa).

This is my interpretation of Zack's death, so don't hound me about it being inaccurate because I know that already. I played the freakin' game (Crisis Core) after all.

Anyway, all that aside, enjoy.

Even Angels Fall

'Perhaps, I should be thankful for this strength after all,' Zack Fair thought to himself as he sped rapidly through the gloomy wastelands, intentionally heading to Midgar. Slung over his shoulder was his one-time comrade, and now, friend, Cloud Strife. Twisting his neck to face him, he grinned.

"Don't worry, pal," he whispered. "I won't let 'em get us."

Then, the sounds of shouts and pursue caught his attention. Still running, he glanced behind him and saw, perhaps tens – no, hundreds, of Shinra soldiers armed to their teeth in firearms. Like a herd of angry buffalo, they stampeded down the hill, guns all pointed directly at him and his unconscious friend.

Anyone would drop whatever they were carrying, abandon their loses and run for it. However, Zack Fair had always been different that way. There had always been a certain… decorum about him that set him apart from the majority. Turning his head slightly to glance at the oncoming slaughter, he simply smirked.

"Persistent, aren't they, my friend," he mused to his delirious friend.

Sighing, he ceased from his running, and laid his friend against a tree trunk. Only the spontaneous spasm and jerking from his body were the indications that he had not yet entered the Lifestream.

Again, the raven-haired SOLDIER chuckled as if the whole chase were a hearty joke. "You'd think that we were fugitives," he said. "Like, for instance, we had slaughtered a whole village or something. But, I guess to them, we are."

Again, the golden haired youth leaned against the tree truck, still in his delirium, completely uncomprehending the whole thing. His golden blonde spikes sagged and fell over his pallid face, hiding his emotionless mask from his rescuer.

Zack's smirk softened as he gazed at his friend. Stepping over to him, he lowered himself down to his height. Pushing back the rebellious hair, he gazed at his friends face. "What has he done to you?" he mused softly.

He suddenly thought back to when he had first joined SOLDIER; he had instantly risen in the ranks because of his natural talent of fighting. He had been able to lift a heavy sword on his first try, and fought with it as he had been born holding one. Many respected him, many admired him, and many relied on him. However, at the same time, many envied and hated him for his accomplishments. But of course, most of them had never even met him, he had the ability to attract any person he met with his natural charm and charisma. Many of his acquaintances found it hard to hate him for too long.

Zack had first met Cloud when he had joined SOLDIER; Cloud wanted it more than anything else. Zack never asked him why, figuring the reason was something personal. Unfortunately, for the rookie, he failed at almost everything, his dream plummeting as his grades did. Zack, taking pity on him, had then decided to help the youth out. Mostly by accompanying him on missions and sometimes passing him words of encouragement along the way.

It was funny how such a simple act of pity and morphed into something as lifelong as friendship, not that Zack regretted his small act. He never did, even if it resulted in him and Cloud being captured and experimented on by the mad scientist that was Dr. Hojo. Best friends were people that could look beyond the bad and still find the reasons why they were friends in the first place.

Zack thought he saw a flicker of comprehension ripple over Cloud's face, but if he did, it was only for a split second. Cloud's azure blue eyes stared blankly down at the clod earth beneath him, still in his delirium.

Azure blue eyes, Zack mused to himself, as azure as my own. They had not always been that colour, although his memories of his life before joining SOLDIER were fuzzy from the experiments performed on him, he could still recall people commenting on his eye colour. "What a lovely shade of violet!" was one he could remember clearly. "I've never seen such eyes, are they real?" might have been directed at him, and, "You must be proud of those lovely violet eyes, Zack fair." Was another, although the face of the speaker was but a blurry picture in his mind.

So, my eyes were violet before the Jenova cells? He mused to himself. Funny, you don't see such an eye colour much these days.

"There he is!" a rough voice penetrated his veil of thoughts.

"Get him!" came another.

Glancing away from his friend, he found that the Shinra soldiers had (finally) caught up with them. Clad from head to toe in baggy suits, faces covered with gas masks, they lifted their firearms and aimed them at the two lone fugitives.

Zack's gaze ran over them as he sized them up, he chuckled coldly and sighed. The price of freedom was indeed steep. Unsheathing his buster sword, he stabbed it into the ground in front of Cloud as a makeshift shield. As he did, his hand brushed over his mobile phone, he momentarily thought about ringing her… no, there was no time to be thinking such things.

He then stepped forward, causing the soldiers to step back and jab their weapons in his direction. So, they were afraid of him. Zack smirked and cracked his knuckles. He never did like fighting unless it was completely necessary, that had never been a lesson taught at SOLDIER, but a lesson taught by his mentor, Angeal. Glancing back at Cloud, completely noticeable and vulnerable behind the makeshift shield that was his buster sword, he knew this time was necessary.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For the duration of the journey, Zack had been the one doing the most talking. Occasionally his words would shudder to a halt for just long enough to regain himself as the truck went over a pothole in the road. The raven-haired man knew that his friend and travel companion did not understand a word he was saying, as he was still in delirium, but he did not care.

He did not want to think about the night before, when he had finally shaken the Shinra army off for just long enough to escape with their lives. He did not glance back at the motionless bodies that lay sprawled out over the earth like broken marionettes. Without a second thought, he gathered his friend and hoisted him over his shoulder, sheathed his sword, and pressed on.

Night soon gave way to the first light of dawn and Zack felt completely drained of energy. He had finally reached the road. He slipped Cloud of his shoulder, and finally fell to the ground in a heap. He thought, at the back of his mid, that perhaps by some small grace of god, that maybe a truck would pass along and offer them a ride to Midgar. Zack snorted as he shook his head with a smile, judging by the luck they had had so far, it was not likely.

His opinion changed, however, as the sun peeked over the horizon, and a small truck seemed to materialise from it. To say he was surprised would have been an understatement, and even more so when Zack explained that they had no money, and the driver said he would be happy to give them a free ride to the city, since he was heading that way himself. Unfortunately, the truck only had two seats, a drivers and a passengers, and the back was completely open and only for cargo. Zack did not mind however, he liked the open air.

Zack chuckled heartily as he crossed his arms behind his head. Perhaps things were finally looking up for them.

"So," Zack began, and rose his face up slightly to catch the soft rays of the morning sun, "What are you going to do once we get to Midgar?"

Cloud, who leaned limply against a small stack of crates, did not reply. Still in his delirium, he groaned softly.

Zack simply smiled. "Well, first we're gonna need some money." He turned his face to the pane of glass that separated them from the driver. The pane of glass, like the rest of the truck, was in serious need ot a scrub. "Hey, pops! Do you know any businesses that I'll be able to do?"

The driver seemed stunned by the question. "What are you saying? You need to try out everything while you're young," he said. "Go through many hardships, and find that path of yours."

Zack chuckled. "'Everything' he says. Not much help, huh?"

Cloud remained motionless. Zack, on the other hand, thought for a moment, squinting as he did.

"I've got it!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I have a lot of skills that other people don't have right? That's it. I'll be a mercenary, a business that does everything!"

For the first time since they hitched a ride, the driver glanced back at them. "Hey, have you listened to a word I said-"

Zack cut him off. "I'm gonna make a fortune," he mused. He glanced back a Cloud, still motionless as ever. "Hey Cloud… What are you going to do?"

No response.

A grin broke over Zack's face. "I'm just kidding; I won't do anything to abandon you." His smile softened. "We're friends, right?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The driver dropped them off a few miles out of Midgar, finally having enough of the one-sided conversation the raven-haired man was having with his drugged friend. As Zack walked the last few miles of his journey, dark, shadowy clouds drifted over the clear blue sky, blocking out the sun.

It was at that moment Zack saw them.

Standing by the large cliff over-looking Midgar.

Standing there, waiting for him.

Thousands this time, not hundreds, of Shinra soldiers armed to their teeth in firearms and swords. Immediately upon seeing him, they aimed their weapons at him, waiting for the signal to fire.

Once again, Zack slipped his drugged friend off his shoulder and hid him behind a rock. He drew his sword, preparing for combat.

Taking one last glance at his friend, it suddenly dawned on him what was going to follow. He had fought many foes throughout his life. Fought them and lived. Just the night before he had fought off an army of hundreds of Shinra soldiers, but this time was different, this time there were thousands and they were not just grunts. This time he could see a few captains hidden among them, probably intentionally so to surprise him. Zack somehow knew that this time, everything was go to be different, frighteningly so. He was not going to get out of this easily. This battle may be his last. He'd never run his planned business. Never go home. Never see Aerith again… This time he was practically knocking on Death's door…

Then, it came, the signal to fire. Any feelings of remorse, however unlikely, were hidden beneath the gas masks. Like marionettes being pulled by a single string, the simultaneously lifted their weapons, fingers heading straight for the triggers.

As if his last wish, Zack twisted his gaze quickly to his friend. Cloud was beginning to stir; he was finally coming to his senses. The golden haired youth gazed around, questioning his new surroundings.

Zack glanced back at the army before him, they were about to fire, and he knew that only one of them was going to get out of this alive. Just before a symphony of gunfire filled the air, Zack cried out two words. Two simple word. Two simple words that may just be enough to save a life.

"CLOUD! RUN!"

Morning sunlight streamed in through the large hole in the roof, Aerith had contemplated numerous times about getting someone to fix it, but every time she had gone against it. It would be too expensive, and besides, the flowers seemed to like the light it let in.

However, it meant something a whole lot more to Aerith than simply a way of giving the flowers more light. She had never forgotten the day a certain raven-haired man fell through that hole, as if he had fallen from the sky like an angel being sent to earth. He certainly looked like an angel, or so Aerith thought.

Their time together had been short, he had promised he would return, and she had promised to write to him whenever she could. That was four years ago, he had replied to the first few, but suddenly he had stopped. All the same, she carried on writing them until they came to eighty-nine. She knew he was live, and that he had not abandoned her.

Every day, she waited. Every day she tended to the flowers, planning to show the off to him when he returned. She knew he would be proud of her.

Aerith thought about little as she watered her flowers, she hummed to herself as she worked. A small thought occurred to her that maybe he would come back today. That was unlikely, but there was always tomorrow, right?

It was as if something pierced her, pierced her in the sensitive part of her heart. Like the prick of a pin deep in the finger. Like the sharp blade of a sword digging into her back. Like the force of a bullet entering her heart at lightning speed. Everything rolled into one.

Climbing to her feet, she shook all over as she gazed up at the hole in the roof. Lacing her fingers together, she recomposed her thoughts, trying to find a logical reason to sooth herself. But, there was none, she had to be honest with herself for once.

He was dead.

Dead.

Dead.

She felt salty tears rolling down her cheeks; she could not tear her gaze away from the hole. He had made that hole when he fell from the sky, as if he were an angel sent to her. It was ironic really, she always had thought of him as an angel, her angel. She always knew he was one of the top class SOLDIERs, that he was unbeatable in combat. Angels do not get defeated, they protect, they save, they love…

Aerith sniffed, emotions spilling out in her tears. Now, he was dead. Perhaps, in this world dying world, even angels fall.

I was inspired to write this after watching a Zack/Aerith music video on youtube. It was to the song, "Even Angels Fall" by some girl singer who's name I have forgotten. It fit's though, since Zack "fell from the sky", kinda like an angel... put it all together and what have you got? A fitting title. R&R!

Tsukikage1213