Zack is struggling with excessive hunger and is willing to try anything to get it under control, but it causes a rift between him and Cloud, so when Cloud falls ill from pneumonia and can't be seen by anyone, Zack sets out to prove he can take care of himself.

Zack is discovered to be alive and reunited with Cloud, but he finds himself struggling to integrate into peacetime as his mind and body aren't working as one, sometimes putting him into danger, greatly concerning Cloud.