I have twenty-three tiny wishes. There's only one thing I want the most--to be together with you more often.
Zack shook his head and dismissed the memory. He loved thinking about Aerith, but right now, he had to concentrate. He inched his way up the side of the wagon to get a better view of the situation. The driver was right. The wagon was still about fifty yards away but Zack could see that there was indeed seven Shinra soldiers poised and waiting at the Midgar gate.
"Hey, old man! Got anything back here that I can use as a weapon? I could get rid of them with just my fists but that's just not my style," said Zack. The merchant nodded his head.
"Check one of those boxes to your right. I think you'll find something useful in there."
Zack slid over to the cardboard box next to him. With his good arm, he pried the top open, shifted the plastic packaging and peered inside.
"So you're a gun runner huh? I never would have guessed," said Zack, laughing out loud. He picked up a revolver and examined it closely. Brand new, in pristine condition, straight from Junon.
"Hey I've got to pay the bills, sonny," said the old man.
Zack closed the box back up. "Guns are great and all, but there's no finesse. No honor. If I'm doing this, I'm doing it with a sword."
"But what about your arm, kid? Wouldn't a gun be--"
"I can handle it. Don't worry," smirked Zack.
"Left hand side, right in the corner," said the driver, flourishing his hand towards the boxes. Zack slowly inched his way over to the other side of the wagon, careful not to stand up to high so he remained hidden. Three long, rectangular boxes lounged against the side of the wagon. Jackpot, thought Zack. He grabbed one and lifted the cardboard top off of it. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the glinting metal inside. It was a long sword, nothing in comparison to his lost buster sword, but it would work just fine.
Zack removed the holster from the box and strapped it over his shoulder in one fluid motion. He fastened it and then took the shining silver sword and slid it home into the sheath right between his shoulder blades. He felt a calm take over, washing his worries away as if the sword was echoing its strength through his soul.
"Hello, boys. Lovely day, isn't it?" Zack heard the old man say.
"Back again, Artimis? Has it been two weeks already?"
Zack hunkered back down into the cool shadows of the wagon. His SOLDIER training took over now and Zack surrendered to it. He listened to the old man sweet talk the guards and focused in on any other details he could pick up on. Three of the men were on the right and the other four on the left.
"I've got to check the back, Artimis. You know the drill."
"I've come through how many times and you still don't trust me? I'm hurt." said the old man. Zack appreciated the merchants efforts, but they would be in vain.
"Sorry, but rules are rules."
And Zack heard two pairs of foot steps come around the side. The lock on the wagons' gate rattled as the Shrina soldiers started to open it.
The men probably didn't realize what had hit them until it was too late. When they swung the door to the wagon open, a black shape rocketed forward from the depths. The last thing they both saw was a glint of silver, a mess of jet black hair and two sparkling blue eyes.
Two down.
"What was that!"
Zack heard the other five soldiers rush over to the rear of the wagon. But when they got there, they saw nothing except two unconscious guards. Because Zack was already poised underneath the cart, ready to strike like a rattlesnake.
"Two men down! Someone was hiding behind here! Get Artimis, NOW!" Zack's eye's glared furiously. He rolled out from under the wagon and cut the legs from the two men who had ran to get the merchant. They fell clumsily on top of each other and gasped in shock as Zack plunged his sparkling new blade through both of them.
Four.
Zack heard a machine gun catch and he flipped out of the way instantly. A rain of bullets cut through the air where Zack would have been. Except he was already behind the two Shina soldiers who were trying desperately to reload. Zach flicked his sword effortlessly and watched the two men crumple to the ground in a heap.
Five. Six.
The last man started at Zack in absolute, blind fear. He fumbled with his machine gun but his hands couldn't get a grip onto it properly and it clattered to the ground. He turned and ran as fast as he could away from the wagon, away from Midgar. A wise decision, thought Zack.
Seven. Job well done.
"So, that's the power of SOLDIER. I'm impressed." The old man stood from his seat on the wagon and gazed off into the distance at the fleeing soldier. Zack took a deep breath and slowed his heart rate. His adrenaline level decreased as he came down from the high of battle and his sensory awareness diminished. He was becoming regular old Zack again. Zack walked over to the old man and lifted the sword up to him.
"No," he said, pushing it back towards Zack, "It's yours. You've earned it."
So with a flourish, Zack twirled his brand new sword over his head and slid it back home into it's holster.
'Artimis, right? Thank you. Now I just need your help with one more thing. There's this church…"
Are you doing well? Where are you? It's been 4 years. This will be the 89th letter I've written but I will not send out any more. I hope that you receive this last letter. Zack! The flowers are selling very well. It makes everyone smile. It's all thanks to you. -Aerith.
"Aerith, wait for me," said Zack underneath his breath. He was close. Zack craned his neck back and looked off into the distance. He could see the cross on the high spire that jutted out into the metal background of the plate. He owed the old merchant immensely. Artimis had led him right to the Sector 5 slums before leaving to offload his shipment.
The familiar smells of the slums flooded into Zack's nostrils as he headed towards the direction of the church. The charred metal, the stagnant air, the potent garbage. And the flowers. He could smell them already. The sweet, fresh smell seemed to cancel out all of the others.
Zack finally made his way up to the front of the church. He smiled when he saw that nothing had changed, despite his being gone for more than four years. Cloudy light shone through the broken stained glass. Crumpled wood and stone lay strewn around the front steps, a silent reminder of the ever increasing decay of the hallowed building. Zack wondered if the hole still gaped in the ceiling from when he had crashed through all those years ago. He shuffled up the stone steps and pried open the heavy wooden doors that lead into the interior.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion then. Zack wasn't sure if he was dreaming because everything looked surreal. But whatever the case, what he saw was this:
Light shone brilliantly through the wide hole in the arched roof, broken up into rectangular squares by the wooden beams that had managed not to rot away. The glistening pews were all lined up perfectly, with an aisle that lead down the middle to where the pool of light settled onto a delicate bed of flowers. And knelt in prayer just in front of them was her.
Zack tried to speak her name but his breath caught in his chest. Finally. Finally.
The girl stood and brushed off her pink dress. Dirt wafted off of the soft material and fluttered back down to the earth, shining gloriously in the light before settling again.
"Tseng. I told you I wanted to be alone."
So, Tseng was still watching her, thought Zack. He took a step forward towards the girl and managed to speak.
"Aerith…"
Zack saw Aerith tense for a moment and then swing around to face him, her dress floating effortlessly around her. She looked at him and saw him, truly saw him, and only then did Zack know he wasn't dreaming.