Chapter 1: A Promise in the Rain

by EclipsedReaper


A cold wind blew through the desolate wasteland surrounding Midgar. A large, threatening black thunderhead slowly approached from the north, momentarily illuminated by jagged streaks of lightning shooting across the sky. On a plateau overlooking the city, a man named Zack breathed what he thought would be his last breath. Lying there, he could feel the blood trickling down his face, mingling with the rain pouring from above.

His grip on the Buster Sword weakened as his remaining strength drained away, and the world around him seemed to grow darker. Thunder rumbled through the sky and his eyelids grew heavier. A momentary feeling of loss washed over him as he thought of his promise to Aerith. Then, the world went black.

Suddenly, he heard a tiny voice in the back of his mind, calling out his name softly. "I have twenty-three tiny wishes, but you probably won't remember them all, so I put them all together into one... I'd like to spend more time with you." He wanted to let go, to slip into the peaceful oblivion beckoning him. But the thought of her, smiling and waiting, clawed at his resolve. He couldn't leave her alone. Not yet. "I... can't give up now," he thought to himself. "For her." His fingers tightened around the handle of the Buster Sword. He still had a promise to keep... and a wish to fulfill.

Every breath was a struggle, sharp and painful. He gritted his teeth, forcing his arm to move, but even simply lifting the Buster Sword felt impossible. He could still hear her voice, echoing in his head. "...I'd like to spend more time... with you." In his mind's eye, he could almost see her smiling down at him. He felt a faint warmth begin to blossom in his chest, slowly growing stronger as painful seconds passed. A wave of healing expanded from his chest, through his veins, chasing away the cold and wet that had seeped into his bones. Slowly, his skin and muscles knit themselves back together, even shattered bones were gradually pieced back together.

His legs trembled as he pushed himself upright, knees buckling under the effort. His sword felt like it had doubled in weight, the familiar hilt digging into his palm. But he refused to fall again. His labored breathing deepened as he steadied himself. The cold and pain he felt were replaced by warmth and tranquility. He stood tall with the Buster Sword tightly grasped in his hands, and held the sword to his face as his mentor had so often done, whispering to himself, "I'm coming, Aerith. We'll see the sky together. We'll spend time together. I... I promise."

He saw the remaining soldiers in the distance, marching away from where they had left him for dead. One of them turned back and gasped as he saw Zack standing steadfast. He yelled to the others, and they cocked their guns as they prepared to fire at Zack. Zack slowly shifted his stance and held his sword out in front of him, rain streaking down the blade, as he prepared to charge at the battalion.

But before he could attack, he saw trees being bent by a strong wind to his left and heard the familiar sound of a helicopter. Before it could reach him, however, he ran towards the attacking army, the Buster Sword stretched out before him. He leaped into the air, soaring above the soldiers staring up at him, their guns left forgotten in their hands. He flipped his sword in his hand to point the blade toward the ground, yelling, "Come and get it!"

He shot towards the ground, landing with an earth-shattering crash and eliminating all the nearby soldiers. His knees struggled to keep him up under the force of the attack, but he barely managed to keep himself standing. He heard a bullet ping off the rock face behind him and turned towards the few survivors to his right. They futilely fired a few more rounds at him until he heard a missile fire from the helicopter hovering over the ledge behind him.

Zack whirled around, leaving his back open to the soldiers, and blocked with the Buster Sword, preparing to roll out of the way. Just before he did so, he noticed that the missile wasn't aimed at him, but at the soldiers behind him! Those who hadn't already fled now tried to run, but it was too late. The explosion shook the plateau to its core, and Zack noticed a ledge beginning to crumble.

As the helicopter began to descend, he saw Reno exit the helicopter and run towards him. "Yo, Zack," he smirked, "Looks like we made it just in time!" He glanced at Zack's tattered and bloodstained uniform and laughed. "Seems like we couldn't save your outfit this time. C'mon, we gotta bolt before this whole place comes down under our feet!"

Zack took a step back and tightened his grip on his sword. "What're you doing here?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion. "Last I checked, Turks work for Shinra."

Reno raised his hands in mock surrender, his smirk never fading. "Whoa, easy there, hero. Tseng sent us. Something about a bunch of letters Aerith sent for you? Dunno the details—guy's got his quirks." Zack's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. Letters from Aerith? Could he trust them?

Before he could press further, a deafening crack split the air. The ground beneath the helicopter trembled, fissures spreading out like spiderwebs. Reno shot Zack a quick glance. "Look, you wanna play twenty questions, fine—but do it somewhere that isn't about to collapse! We gotta go! Now!" Zack hesitated only a moment longer before the urgency of the situation won out. He yelled back, "I gotta go get Cloud! Gimme just a second!"

He ran over to where he had left Cloud and saw a crack in the ledge above him. It began to collapse, falling onto Cloud. "Cloud!" Zack yelled, dashing forward. Before the collapsing ledge could reach Cloud, he threw the still-comatose youth over his shoulder and jumped out of the way just in time. With Cloud still unconscious, he sprinted back with Reno and yelled over the noise of the helicopter, "Seriously, how'd you even find us out here? I thought we were toast for sure!" As they jumped back into the helicopter, Reno grinned. "We're Turks, y'know? It's just what we do." "I'd prefer if we could all stay alive, at least for one day," Rude added. "Let's go."

As the helicopter took off towards Kalm, Zack looked out the window at the crumbling mass that had once been a looming plateau, as it finally collapsed in on itself. Zack breathed a sigh of relief and then longingly turned his gaze to Midgar. "Aerith..." he whispered, "I'll figure this all out... and then I'll come back to you."