Wow this chapter started off very interesting with how we saw Tseng there and all. I was surprised to see him though for sure, but all that happened later though just made this chapter worth it for sure. I liked to see how Zack was clearly upset at what he had done and did not know what to do about it. It shows that he is for sure not a monster and is doing the best that he can. But ohhhh boy about Hojo. Honestly, I have been enjoying fics that have him doing something in them. But I still despise the man. So seeing him getting what was coming to him here really put a smile on my face, especially after seeing he was trying to mess with Cloud and all. But the parallel that you made there with Zack getting Cloud out of Shinra manner was just so perfect though and I'm glad you had Zack to comment on it as well. And then with Cloud thinking he heard Zack, I wonder if Cloud will ever find out that Zack is alive. Hmmm. Things could begin to get very interesting here now. Especially with moving past all the canon story material. Very excited to see where it goes.

Okay so this chapter was a bit different for sure. I feel bad for Zack though and I wish that he would have cheered up a bit more earlier on, though I know it is bad what had been happening to him. But him just giving up like that just seemed so angsty. I really enjoyed the ideas that you have for the story as well, and what developed through this chapter as we progressed through the timeline of events. It was all nicely written too and the points were made clear in the actions that were shown.
However, I have to say that the pacing threw me off slightly. I know the main focus was not on the events from the main game and sequel. But it just moved so fast for me in just one chapter that there were some points that threw me off. But! It was still nicely done and I definitely wanna see where this is going next too.

OMG how great this chapter was though! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this chapter so much. The setup from the last chapter was quite good, and I was curious to where things would go, and boy I was a bit surprised with how it all played out here. It didn't seem rushed to me either, and the pacing was quite good and every scene felt like that it truly mattered in some way. I'm really glad though that you allowed Zack to have his friend though with him, and good at falling back on that he had said that he would help Zack when he needed it. It's good to have callbacks to the previous games and all though. I think the one thing that was so well done in this chapter was the way that Zack's inner thoughts are explored. I enjoyed being able to see his conflict and his reasoning for his actions. But also, his reactions to the deeds of Shinra, and the what-ifs of not finding out about their atrocities sooner was something that I felt hit close to home for knowing the overview of the FF7 world and all. Also, the part where Zack finally was able to see himself was enjoyable as well, cause I was hoping to get some sort of clue as to what he looked like. And honestly, I feel as though he looks kinda like Cloud from Kingdom Hearts, with the way things are described for him. Zack's feelings though on that and of everything else that he was enduring was the best part though. To see the emotional struggle of the would-be hero was such angst to see, but it works so well in terms of what the goal of the chapter is, which is to show the price of freedom (which I noticed you stated in the chapter somewhere and I thought that was a good add in). I also didn't expect what happened there closer to the end, cause I didn't think Zack woudl be that way. But you surprised me a lot with that.

Also, that makes sense about the end of the last chapter now though. I had forgotten about that scene in the original FF7 actually, so now that I know what it's from, I see the callback that you made to it and I think it's a very nice idea. Anyways, I guess I'll stop rambling now. lol. I really look forward to reading more of this story too.

Oh my gosh, a friend showed this story to me and recommended that I read it. I am so glad that I did though as I think I have found quite the interesting story here. Zack is my all time favorite and seeing him survive in a story is quite nice. However, it's now so bad and angsty what ends up happening to him in this. I had no idea where this story was going to go with the idea of more experiments, but it picked up very quickly and just kept raising the bar as the first chapter went on. I really felt that Hojo was done quite well as the villain here, and his personality was as cold and calculating as I remember. I enjoyed seeing the way that Zack was portrayed here as well, especially after being subjected to even more tests. It's very realistic and faithful to the lore of the game with how these events transpired, and I liked being able to see where it was in the timeline with the dialogue and story elements of certain characters like Hojo and Shinra showing it. The ending part had me hooked though when I saw that there were others there in the testing facility with Zack and all, but it was the ones that we know and follow. Not to mention now what has happened with Zack has made this story take a dark turn and all. With all the buildup that has happened so far, I can't wait to see what happens next in this story. I will for sure continue this!

very good

Intriguing start...although it is unfortunate with the rest of the story taking place after Dirge of Cerberus I won't get to see Zack tear Hojo limb from limb

You are a beautiful person for making this.
But also very desperate to escape from the truth of the lovers' deah

while reading this fanfic i got a really bad idea actually xD
and i'm regretting it already. why not putting this into a manga?
i'm going to live through a really depressing time... i see it coming.. haha

Wonderful little ficlet you have here, I'm so glad you finished it. Too often I find a Zack-is-alive fic that's really good but hasn't been updated in years. I'm not saying there aren't any good Zack fix-its out there, but I always love seeing a completed one that gives him and Aerith the happy ending they deserved - like yours.

Btw, this is like, the third or fourth fic I've read where Zack and Aerith's firstborn is a girl. And I haven't seen a single one where they had a boy first. Isn't that odd?

Anyway, loved the fic, and a sequel would be most welcome!

~Echo the Dreamer

Awww...such a sweet ending to an awesome story. I'm glad both Zack and Aerith survived and I was sad when Zack was in a coma. I'm also glad that Zack's parents accepted him and Angel looks really sweet. Can't wait for the sequel when you get round to writing it.

Leave it to Angeal to save Zack's ass one last time.

Yes! Sequel! Please! o_o Well, I HAD ideas to give you, but now that you freaking KILLED OFF GENESIS in a way that tells me you're not a fan, I got nothing. :/

Awww. How cute! Kinda disappointed that there isn't a big climax and that Aerith's survival was glossed over so quickly, but it's so sweet to see them married with a little baby. _ And she'll have a playmate in baby Zackery.

I got a good idea for a sequel. Angel and her parents all grown up but her parents still look young. Like thirty or somethin. Well, there's my idea. Hope it's a good one.

Wow this chapter was definitely worth the wait, it was really sweet when Aerith managed to snap Zack out of his feral state. I can't wait to see what happens next.