Shade

by TwinEnigma

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor do I make profit from this fanwork. This is done for fun and skills building.

Warnings: Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.

1.

There is something wrong. From the moment he wakes, he is aware of it instinctively. His body, shivering with fever and soreness that goes all the way to the bone, feels alien and weak and he can't remember his name. Trying to remember is like trying to catch motes of dust in the air: completely useless. With shaking and unsteady limbs, he rolls over and pulls himself to his feet.

In the distance, a city pierces the skyline. It sits in the middle of a wasteland, ugly and monstrous.

Midgar, his fevered mind supplies dully.

A flicker of recognition stirs within him, the details lost in the haze of pain and fire burning up his mind, but he knows somehow that he needs to get there. With momentous effort, he wills his aching legs to move forward and, slowly, he staggers down the cliff, into the wasteland.

It is a long journey and every step is agony, but he can make it, he knows he can.

It is only thing he is sure of anymore.