Well, decided to work on the first chapter of the story just a few days after I posed up the prologue. Happy I have a lot of people watching, and two reviews for the first chapter isn't bad, though it could be more. Oh well. The first chapter wasn't very exciting, though I was setting up the meeting between the MC and Zack. And Cloud, though he kind of doesn't count since he's pretty out of it.

Hopefully, we'll get something more productive done in this chapter. Or the next at least.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy VII Compilation. I do, however, own the Main Character who will finally get her name.

Chapter One - Breakdown

You would think that after five long days of traveling together, being in the other person's company would be a lot more bearable.

Instead it was the exact opposite as neither Zack or I knew what to say to each other without things devolving into an awkward silence. Honestly, I was contemplating asking him to dump me at the next town we came across if this was the way things were going to be between us the entire time.

But I didn't voice this out loud. The truth was, even if I didn't want to admit it, I needed him if I was going to survive. We both knew this. That day when Zack found me, my name wasn't the only thing that I couldn't remember.

It turns out that I forgot pretty much everything else as well.

...

Okay... not quite everything. If you showed me something, I would probably know what it was called and how it functions.

It's just that the things I forgot was stuff like how I got there, where I was, what I was doing there just lying on the road...

I didn't even know the name of the planet I was on. When I asked, Zack gave me a strange look and told me that it was Gaia.

For some reason, that name did not ring a bell.

Then there was the fact that I didn't have anything on me but two guns, each one strapped on a leg and a messenger bag that carried a white laptop, a cellphone that Zack seemed interested in as apparently he had never seen that kind of model before and a couple of other gadgets that I decided I would check out later. And finally a golden oval shaped necklace that hung around my neck, but that was it. I had no food, no currency, and I was miles away from any civilization.

After the revelation of my memory loss and checking my inventory, it was not that hard to figure out that I wouldn't have survived on my own for very long.

Not without a miracle, I was.

Zack seemed to realize that too as he was adamant that I go with him, even though he didn't need to. I was a stranger. An amnesiac stranger, but a stranger all the same. There was no requirement that he had to because he had been unfortunate enough to stumble across me.

Or in his case, nearly run me over with his motorcycle.

But he would not take no for an answer and I soon found myself getting into the passenger cart and sitting next to a slumped over spiky haired blond who also had bright glowing blue eyes. Zack introduced the blond haired man as his best friend, Cloud Strife.

There was something about Cloud I found unsettling. It wasn't just that his eyes were sometimes open when it was clear he was not conscious or that he kept staring blankly ahead... there was something off about him. It wasn't his appearance that bothered me -save for the empty stare- but there was something off about his presence in general. Something wrong. Something... sinister.

I should know this feeling, but I couldn't name it.

I got this feeling off of Zack too, but it wasn't as strong.

It was instinctive, and one of the few things I did know was to always trust your instincts. Your instincts could be the deciding factor of your survival or your death.

Or it could be that the 'instinctive feeling' I had about him was just my my overactive imagination coming up with insane theories over him being as lively as a rock. Even the nicest person in the world would admit that there was something creepy about how he kept staring at empty space, his eyes completely blank and unfocused.

My curiosity demanded that I ask Zack about Cloud and why he was the way he was, but a voice in the back of my head told me that it was something that tread into personal territory and fell into the category of 'things you do not ask people you just met'. After a lot of debating I decided that I would ask once we got to know each other a bit more. But for now, I would keep my mouth shut about it.

"Alright, everybody out of the car!" My musing was interrupted by Zack bringing the motorcycle to a complete halt. "Uh, I mean, motorcycle."

I turned to stare at Zack, who was grinning at me. "Huh?"

"We're going to be stopping here for the night!"

Turns out that 'stopping here for the night' meant camping out in a cave. A cave that had been previously occupied by a monster until Zack went in, killed it with his huge sword, and then proceeded to drag it to the very back of the cave before getting Cloud from the motorcycle passenger cart and propping him up against the wall.

"Hey, take care of Cloud for me while I go and find us some dinner."

I raised one of my eyebrows at the statement. "You want me to watch over Cloud?"

"Yeah. You don't mind, do you?" The grin on his face faded a bit.

I didn't. Especially when he had already done so much. "I don't. But you're trusting me to watch over your best friend when you've only known me for, what, a few days?"

Honestly, Cloud was completely defenseless and completely unaware of everything around him. And Zack was trusting me, an amnesiac he just literally picked off the middle of the road, to watch over him? I was kind of happy that he would allow me to watch over his friend but at the same time I felt that he was a bit too trusting. As far as I knew, I've done nothing to earn the trust and responsibility that he was placing on me.

He didn't even know my name!

...

...

...well neither did I, but that was beside the point!

My point was that I could just as easily be someone who was faking amnesia and was just waiting for Zack to lower his guard so that I could shoot him in the back.

Zack looked up at the cave ceiling, rubbing the back of his head and not saying anything for a few minutes.

"I trust you." He finally said.

I opened my mouth to respond to his statement but paused when I saw the beseeching look in his eyes. He didn't want me to say any more, he just wanted me to take his word on it that I had his trust and to leave it alone.

Blinking, I nodded slowly. "...okay. Just hurry up and get the food. Don't leave us by ourselves for too long otherwise I can't make guarantees about our safety."

Zack stared at me before breaking out into a wide grin. He ruffled my hair before running off into the forest that lay outside the cave before I could say anything.

"Just like a little puppy." I grumbled, straightening out the hair that Zack had messed up. All he needed was some dog ears and a wagging tail and he was all set.

Since Zack was probably going to be out for a while, I decided that now would be a good thing to mull things over again without interruption. About my current situation and about my companions who I could tell at a glance were not ordinary.

...their eyes were glowing. Need I say more?

The second thing on my mind was Cloud's state. Even with my lack of memories, I could tell that Cloud being like this was not natural. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with anything to explain why the blond was like this other than severe head injury, which I doubt was the answer. What brought him to this state of catatonia made me... curious.

And the third was Zack Fair.

Despite his imposing physique, Zack gave off the impression of being like a friendly, playful puppy.

A giant friendly, playful puppy.

But there were also times that made me think otherwise.

Like when Zack had been pleading with me earlier to just take his word on him trusting me, to take it at face value.

For all his grins and cheerful nature, Zack Fair was not an idiot.

I couldn't picture him just trusting anyone with his best friend. So the fact that he decided to leave me in charge of Cloud while he went off hunting for dinner? It spoke volumes about his belief in me.

And despite his happy-go-lucky nature, I could tell that it was a front for something else. Over the past few days, I've noticed that Zack was constantly looking over his shoulder. As if he was expecting something or someone to jump out at random and start attacking us.

And when he thought that I wasn't looking, he let his cheerful facade crack and reveal an exhausted, weary expression.

This led me to believe that he was on the constant look out for something. Or someone. I asked him about this one and he just laughed and said that it was nothing to worry about and that he would take care of it. It was an obvious lie, but I didn't call him out on it since it seemed to stress him.

Other things that I've also observed during his few interactions with me was that even if his face was smiling and his voice was cheerful, his eyes said otherwise, displaying a tired and weariness that contrasted with the outgoing persona he was constantly showing. His eyes told me that he was just about ready to crack.

A grunt snapped me out of my musings and I looked around for the source of the noise. Eventually, my gaze landed on Cloud's prone form against the wall.

His eyes were open again and for a moment I thought I saw his lips move. But when I looked again, there weren't any signs to indicate that he had moved. I walked over and bent down to his level to make sure that I wasn't seeing things.

"It wasn't my imagination, was it?" I asked him, even though I knew that I wasn't going to get an answer. "You did say something, right?"

As expected, no reply.

With a sigh, I sat down in front of him with my legs crossed and scanned his form. He didn't seem any different compared to the past few days when we were in the motorcycle. But now that I thought about it, wasn't he uncomfortable having to sit up all the time? When he rode in the motorcycle passenger cart, he had to sit up of course. But now that we were out of said cart and camping out in a cave for the night, wouldn't it have it been more comfortable and sensible to have him lie down for a bit before hitting the road again? I couldn't imagine having to sit up being slumped over all the time as being very fun, even if he was out of it.

Lifting the strap of my messenger bag over my head, I set it down and also removed my white sleeveless hoodie that I placed on top of my bag. Then I went over to Cloud and dragged him over to it. After a few minutes, I finally got him into a comfortably lying position before laying his head down on my makeshift pillow for him.

Just then, Zack chose that exact moment to return to the cave.

"See? It didn't take long to get us some food!" He paused when he saw Cloud. "Why is Cloud lying down?"

"Because I thought Cloud would be uncomfortable with having to sit up all the time?" I said, phrasing my answer as a question and raising an eyebrow to emphasize that Zack should have known that.

"...that makes sense." Zack said, a small smile on his face. "Thanks for doing that for him. I... had a lot of things on my mind to even consider that I should make him lie down once in a while."

"It's not that big of a deal." Really, it wasn't. It was just a passing thought that came to me after I saw Cloud.

But Zack was shaking his head.

"No... I... it means a lot. I've been so busy with trying to keep the two of us alive that I didn't even think about his comfort."

What Zack had just said gave me the perfect opening to ask the questions that had been nagging at me for days.

"'Busy with trying to keep the two of us alive'?" I repeated. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Zack looked as if I had slapped him in the face.

"Uh..." The dark haired man couldn't even look me in the eye.

I needed to drive him into a corner, make sure that there was no way for him to escape. It was... cruel, but I don't think that I'd get my answers any other way.

"For the past few days I've observed that you're constantly on alert, which implies that you're on the look out for something waiting to jump out or attack you at any given moment. I suppose I could just chalk it up to you making sure you don't get caught off guard by a monster, but you're too..."

I paused.

"...you're too wound up for that. The monsters we've encountered so far don't strike me as being that threatening and they don't seem to be your main concern either."

Zack didn't say anything.

"We've also come across several villages on the way, but you didn't stop at any of them. We could have easily refurbished our supplies at any of them, but the one time I made a suggestion to stop at one of them, you seemed uneasy and made up the excuse that our supplies would last us for a bit, hence why it wouldn't be necessary to stop there. But that wasn't true, was it?"

He still didn't say anything.

"You're avoiding contact with other people, which is why you don't go into any of the towns or villages. You're also reluctant to stay in one place for very long, always wanting to remain on the move. Which would make it harder to be tracked down."

I stared straight into Zack's bright blue eyes, which were now unreadable.

"Those observations are just circumstantial evidence, but it leads me to believe that you're on the run from someone. Or someones."

There was silence as Zack sat down next to Cloud. He didn't look at me for a few minutes, his gaze focused on the ground as if he was contemplated something. When he finally looked up, he was grinning but there was exhaustion written all over his face and his blue eyes, despite their glow, were dulled with pain, regret... and other emotions I wasn't quite sure of.

He wasn't even trying to mask it any more now that I called him out on it.

"Yeah, you're right. Me and Cloud are fugitives. We're on the run from ShinRa since we decided that we didn't want to be their experiments any more and broke out of one of their labs." He chuckled, which to my ears, sounded strained.

"ShinRa?" I asked and then the word 'experiments' registered and my eyes widened.

Experiments. Zack had just said that he and Cloud were experiments.

For the first time since I've woken up without my memories, I could feel disgust wash over me at Zack's words. Not towards the two men I was currently staring at, but at the people who had experimented on them in the first place.

It explained Cloud's condition. It explained the haunted look in Zack's eyes. Most people who were experimented on tended to be scarred on one degree or another. Or completely insane.

There was a thin line in science of what was morally ethical and what was inhumane. Human experimentation, experimentation on any other living being, pretty much crossed that line.

"You don't know what ShinRa is?" Zack asked. If his reaction was anything to go by, I would say my question was pretty much the equivalent of telling him to get into a pink fluffy tutu and dance across a stage with nothing else on.

"No. Which is why I'm asking you." I said flatly. I was amnesiac, or did he already forget that?

Zack ran a gloved hand through his hair.

"This could take a while." He finally said. "So why don't we set up camp and get some food into our stomachs first before we continue this conversation?"

I could tell that he was not looking forward to it.

"So... ShinRa is pretty much the ruling government of the world and you used to work for them. But then after their strongest SOLDIER went insane on the last mission you and your friends were on, they brought you into one of their labs and experimented on the three of you until you broke out? And now they have their army pursuing you because they think you're a 'dangerous specimen'?"

I massaged my forehead, trying to lessen the pain of the migraine firmly entrenched into my brain.

What. The. Heck?

The boatload of information that Zack had dropped on me was... ugh. I was still trying to sort through it all.

ShinRa, which was short for ShinRa Electric Power Company, ruled the planet with an iron fist and had monopoly on pretty much everything. Hell, they even waged a war on an independent nation called Wutai just so they ruled the bloody world!

And for some reason an electrical power company acted as Gaia's world government.

On top of that, it had several departments that had nothing to do with being an electric company. Weapons Development, Science, Urban Development, Public Safety Maintenance, The Investigation Division of General Affairs, SOLDIER, Security, and Space Exploration.

For a company that focused on generating electricity for the masses it ruled over, it sure branched out a lot.

I can easily say that I wasn't too keen on the world government having a Weapons Development Department section as well as a Science Department if what had happened to Zack and Cloud were any indication to go by.

Oh, and I couldn't forget SOLDIER either. The Science Department's prized project that resulted in making genetically enhanced human army that were both the heroes of the people as well as their oppressors.

The government having genetically enhanced warriors at their disposal was considerably disturbing, particularly if said government was operated by corrupt, immoral, greedy executives who were focused on their own selfish needs and would not hesitate to erase anyone or anything in their way.

And there wasn't anything anyone could do about it if said corrupt government's policing force was made up of enhanced, sword wielding fighters.

SOLDIERs were ShinRa's famed warriors that children all over the planet aspired to become when they grew up. They were stronger, faster, and had more endurance than the average man and could easily overpower someone who wasn't enhanced. I could see how people would be drawn in by this, especially if SOLDIERs were made out of be heroes. Because who wouldn't want to be a hero?

Then again, they didn't know the full truth either. I don't think many people would find as SOLDIER attractive if they did.

And Zack used to be a part of this elite force, which I guess would explain why his eyes were glowing. I asked him if Cloud had been one as well, since his eyes were glowing too and he was wearing a uniform identical to Zack's.

Zack had winced at the question and answered no. I didn't question him any further than that.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked and I looked up to find him staring at me in concern.

"Yeah. Just. Wow..."

"Heh." Zack smiled sympathetically, though it was a bit forced. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? I kinda find it overwhelming too, now that I think about it."

I nodded.

The three of us were camped in front of a fire that we set up inside the cave. We had gone deeper into the cave, taking the motorbike with us to hide it from view and started a fire where we were certain than no one would be able to see the glow unless they came right to the entrance of the cave itself.

"Okay... one more question that has nothing to do with ShinRa." I said.

Zack winced. I could tell that my questions were wearing him out, but he conceded.

"Why did you take me with you?"

"Huh?"

"That day you found me in the middle of the road. Why did you bring me along with you?" I looked at Cloud. "You were already..." I paused, wanting to choose a word that wouldn't offend Zack. "...weighed down with having to take care of your best friend and you still decided to burden yourself with looking after another person. Why?"

Zack looked shocked. "You think you're a burden?" He asked.

"Isn't that what I am?"

But Zack was already shaking his head. "No. You're not a burden. I chose to bring you along because no decent person would have just abandoned you like that in the middle of nowhere in your state!" He declared adamantly.

...

...

...okay...

"Um, nice of you to think so." Even though I'm pretty sure I was a dead weight; Cloud had the excuse of constant experimentation sending him into a state of catatonia, so he didn't count. "So... back to the question?"

"You're not going to leave that one alone, are ya?" Zack sighed, leaning against the cave wall.

"No. It's the one question that has been bugging me for days. So I ask again: why?"

Zack closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again with a tired sigh. "Okay, I guess I do owe you an explanation about that. I was kind of insistent about you coming along, huh?"

He had all but chucked me into the passenger seat that day, I told him.

"The truth is, you look practically identical to one of my friends." I don't know what expression I had on my face, but Zack quickly spoke again to likely head off what he thought would be a chewing out session. "You two looked so identical that I thought it couldn't be a coincidence! And my friend, when we were in the labs, often talked about a younger sister she had. So I thought that maybe you were her little sister!"

He had mentioned that his third friend, who had also been an unfortunate experiment along with Cloud and himself, was female but he hadn't mentioned her name. Since I was more focused on extracting information from him, I didn't ask about that.

When I looked Zack straight into the eyes, there was not a trace of doubt in them. He was absolutely convinced that I was his friend's little sister.

I wanted to sigh so badly at Zack's assumption and belief, but I didn't want to agitate him either. The man had just taken one look at my face and then instantly assumed I had a connection with his friend? I reached up and began fiddling with the oval shaped golden necklace around my neck to distract myself from bringing up my hand and slapping myself in the face with it.

"Seriously?" I said.

"Yeah." He nodded. I knew he could tell I didn't believe him. "There are too many similarities between the two of you. And..."

He closed his eyes before answering again.

"She would have never forgiven me if I just abandoned you there."

Silence settled between us for a few minutes. I decided to break it before it started moving into the awkward stage.

"So what was her name?" I asked, for the sake of amusing him and finding out the name of his third friend. "The woman you claim is my sister?"

"It's Rosalyn. Rosalyn Maxwell. But me and her friends called her Rose."

I wasn't expecting the sudden piercing pain that caused me to drop the necklace around my neck and clutch my head. "Gah?!"

It felt like someone was stabbing an ice pick into my brain.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Zack was by my side in an instant.

I didn't answer him as I repeated the name he just told me in my mind over and over again. Rosalyn... Rosalyn Maxwell... Rose. I knew that name. It belonged to someone important to me... someone close to me, someone I wasn't supposed to forget. It was a name... a name I wanted to put a face to, but couldn't.

And it was a name that filled me with bitterness as well.

Suddenly, Zack's theory didn't seem so far-fetched any more.

Because... if Zack was right... Rosalyn Maxwell was supposed to be my sister.

"Y-yeah." The pain was beginning to reside, though it was still there. "I... I don't suppose she told you any other names, did she?"

"She did." Zack hesitated. " Yours. Are you sure you want to hear it? I mean... if you reacted badly to Rose's name, then you might-"

"Just tell me, Zack." I cut him off. "I'm going to find out sooner or later... if your friend's connected to me... might as well find out now."

"..."

"Zack!" I snapped. "Just tell me the name!"

"Rose told me... that her little sister's name was Isabelle. Isabelle Maxwell."

The pain returned with a vengeance and I was aware of Zack's startled yell but I ignored it in favour of concentrating on the name he had given me.

Isabelle... Isabelle... that name sounded even more familiar to me than Rosalyn. But wasn't quite right. Isabelle was my name, but I also went by something else. A nick name. Just like Rosalyn had shortened her name to Rose.

Izzy...

Elle...

Belle...

That was it! My name was Isabelle but I usually went by the name of Belle!

"That's it... that's my name." I said when I was sure that I could talk without puking. "But I usually shorten my name to Belle."

"I'll just call you Izzy!" I could hear the relief in Zack's voice.

"No." I said immediately, feeling a tinge of annoyance at being called that.

"Too bad! It's what Rose called you!"

Ugh, he wasn't listening to me.

"So where's Rosalyn?" I asked. "You're here with Cloud and I can't exactly imagine you abandoning her either-"

I cut myself off when I saw Zack's face darken. With regret. With anger. With sadness. And finally with despair. A second later his face crumbled and he broke out into large, heaving sobs. His big, meaty hands covering his face as if to shield himself away from the rest of the world as he collapsed and broke down in tears.

"I don't know." He finally said. "When I woke up, I only saw Cloud floating in the tank next to me. Rose, she..."

Zack choked on his words several times before he could finally wrangle it out with a gasp.

"...wasn't there."

And that's where I end the chapter. Now what do you think of that?

Also, you finally know the main character's name! It's Isabelle, though she shortens it to Belle.

So I guess I'll have to explain why Zack did what he did and why he's reacting like he is now.

As mentioned in the chapter, Belle and her older sister Rosalyn -who has now been identified as a SOLDIER and Zack's friend- bare a striking resemblance to each other. Zack is on the run from ShinRa with Cloud in tow. His trust in the very company he used to serve shattered, not to mention bitter and disillusioned as well. At the same time, he tries to maintain his optimism in front of Cloud even if his best friend is really out of it. So why would he pick up Isabelle, some girl he just met in the middle of the road?

Easy.

The resemblance between Belle and Rose. Zack feels that he's failed a lot of people: Angeal, Sephiroth, Cloud and finally Rose. I'll reveal more about Rose later on, but for now all you need to know that he feels that he failed her. In Belle, he sees his friend and he feels that leaving her would accumulate into failing Rose even more. Not to mention can you even imagine Zack just abandoning Belle on her own when its discovered that she's amnesiac and is practically defenseless? He wouldn't do that, even if it leaves him with the burden of having to look after two other people. Not with a teacher like Angeal he would.

Why would he trust her? He's worn down, he's tired and he isn't exactly eager to look for conspiracy everywhere, especially if she wears the face of a close friend. Not to mention that the days they've spent in each other's company has convinced him that she isn't a threat to either him or Cloud.

And for his breakdown at the end of the chapter?

Alright, place yourself in Zack's shoes. Betrayal after betrayal and then four years in Hojo's company? And that doesn't even figure the very Company he had pledged his loyalty to and worked for obediently for a good chunk of his life now pursuing him with the aim to gun him down. Yeah, a lot of people would breakdown in his situation. Not to mention Belle's ruthless interrogation bringing up stuff he had tried not to think about. He has a lot on his shoulders.

One thing I want to make clear: portraying Zack crying is not meant to make him look wimpy or weak in any sort of way. In fact, I wasn't planning on having him breakdown into tears in this chapter. It was meant to represent his breaking point and the stress finally getting to him after every shitty thing that has happened to him over the course of seven years. Because if there's one thing you should remember... heroes are human too. And so are villains.

Hmm... I think that's about it. I guess I'll see you guys in the next chapter!