Chapter 2

Aerith scrunched her face, trying to ease the headache that still had little stinging effect behind her closed eyes. She couldn't exactly remember when or how she fell asleep. All she remembered was Vincent bombarding her with questions that somehow suffocated her. She sighed inwardly, opening her eyes to welcome the warmth of daylight. She noticed it was late evening, and she finally caught the sight of a middle-aged lady sitting by her side, watching her with worry etched heavily across her features.

"Mom?" Aerith's voice croaked.

"Aerith," Elmyra's voice was shaking, choking out tears as she threw her arms around Aerith. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard about the accident and I feel like I almost die with the news!"

Aerith chuckled, hugging Elmyra back, letting herself sink in the familiar warmth that had been with her for almost twenty years. "You're exaggerating, mom. I'm perfectly fine."

Elmyra seemed to ignore her mischievous remark as she kissed her adoptive—nearly own—daughter, eyes obviously looked watery. She kept on mumbling how she had been worrying about her daughter, and Aerith smiled genuinely in relief. Elmyra had always been her best support, and Aerith knew by then everything would be alright.

Zack watched from outside the ward, sighing as he looked away from the warm family moment. He wouldn't want to intrude such atmosphere when Aerith finally able to relax since she woke up. And he certainly wouldn't want her to end up hurting like before either. It was stupid to hope that she would remember him again after she woke up the second time. Ignoring the heavy constricting discomfort in his chest, he hesitantly walked away from the ward.

When Elmyra finally pulled away from their embrace, her eyes darted to every corner of the room before looking back at Aerith. "Honey, where is Zack?"

Aerith didn't even bother to hide how her face contorting with confusion at the sudden question. "Who?"

Elmyra blinked, watching the girl carefully before tentatively suggested. "Zack. Your... husband, honey."

Aerith fought the urge to roll her eyes at that. Ah, of course. It was all about that guy again. Why won't they just stop this prank? She was getting so tired of this. "Can we please not talk about him now?" she sighed, fingers fiddling with the hem of her blanket. "I'm not really comfortable with this whole thing still."

"Did you two have a fight?" Elmyra asked suspiciously, a bit taken aback at how it was possible for Zack—the man who had loved her daughter to his dear life—to get mad at this precious little treasure just after her life had been in danger.

Aerith shook her head. Her exquisite chestnut long tresses swayed at the motion as she ducked her head slightly. "It's just too weird but I woke up feeling just fine and even though there's nothing really wrong with me, they said I've completely forgot all my memories about that man. I don't even remember ever being married, so I really don't feel comfortable talking about this," her eyes met her mother's by then. "Besides, ain't I too young to be married? It just doesn't make sense."

Elmyra's face was blank for the first few seconds, before grimacing in apparent shock. She forced herself to compose her wit and exhaled a deep sigh. "You... wanted to get married when you were seventeen."

"Mom," Aerith gave out a loud snort. "That's even more of a non-sense. Why would I want to get married when I was in high school."

Elmyra resisted the fact of how her sweet daughter had been suffering over the four years course when the man went missing, and her whole inner turmoil resulted from that. Aerith was sedated before she came. And by now, Elmyra was sure that had to do with her thrashing uncontrollably prior.

It was a few more hours later when four other visitors came through her door. Her mother was still sitting by her side, even though Elmyra seemed to feel a little more awkward as the time passed by. But when the guests walked in to visit, she hoped everything would be okay again.

"Yo, Aerith. Heard about your crash. How's it going?" Kunsel was the one who greeted her first. Cloud, Tseng and Cissnei were close behind him.

Aerith didn't exactly know Kunsel on close term. She was sure she never really talked to him much. But he was Cloud's friend and she was sure he was kind enough to give an acquaintance a visit. "I'm fine. It was just a mild injury. Thank you for visiting, Kunsel," her face brightened.

"We brought along some fruits for you," Cissnei offered kindly, putting a basket of variety fruits on the small table besides her bed. "I hope you get well soon."

"Oh, thank you, Cissnei," Aerith smiled; certainly pleased at the kind gesture from someone she wasn't really close to.

"Are you feeling better?" Kunsel asked.

"I'm actually going to be discharged in a few days," Aerith said. "You guys are really wasting your time worrying if you even do," her giggles echoed softly before her eyes shyly met the guy with unruly blonde hair. "Thanks for coming too, Cloud."

Cloud's eyes stared into hers for a few seconds before confusion dawned on him. Something didn't feel exactly right with the whole setting, and if he wasn't mistaken, he swore he could see a faint blush dusting her fair cheeks.

Cissnei seemed to notice this too. "What's wrong, Aerith?"

"Aerith," Cloud finally decided to ask—one of the things that seemed out of place. "Where's Zack?"

"Yeah. He ran out of the office the moment he got the call but now he's nowhere to be seen," Kunsel chimed in.

They were immediately shot by a warning glare from Elmyra as she cleared her throat. Cloud and Tseng shot each other a confused look. But they both knew something wasn't exactly right, as how it appeared to be.

Aerith's beaming face at seeing her friends dropped immediately. Really, she didn't expect anyone to understand her situation. After all, she was the one experiencing it, and she herself had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. But did they all have to be so unnerving, looking at her as if she was some kind of a criminal? She hated those eyes, as if she had just committed something she shouldn't.

"Oh, honey, let's just peel the fruits and have some, okay?" Elmyra quickly reached for the basket, rushing around to get a knife while mouthing an 'I'll explain later' to the newly arrived guests.

And Cloud, Tseng, Cissnei and Kunsel knew something not less significantly serious was going on.

Zack almost jumped away when he felt the cold pressing against his right cheek. His head whipped back to meet the soft stare of the scarlet haired lady behind him, holding a can of juice by the side of his face.

"Cissnei," Zack muttered in acknowledgement.

"Well, there you are," she handed the drink into his hand, which he accepted obediently. "We've been wondering where you have been since we arrived."

"Uh, I'm just... taking a short walk for a while," Zack tried to reason, scratching the back of his head in the process.

Cissnei gave him a soft smile before sitting on the chair just next to him, fingers opening her own can as she sipped the juice gingerly. "You really don't have to act tough. Elmyra told us about the circumstances."

"Oh, she did?" Zack grinned, opening his own can as he drank his portion. "That saved me the explanation."

"Are you okay?" Cissnei's voice was woven with genuine concern.

"I'm fine," Zack shrugged before taking another sip. "It's just selective amnesia. Vincent said it's rare but sooner she'll be better."

Cissnei clutched her can, eyes staring at Zack who seemed to find his can rather interesting. "You really shouldn't be acting tough at times like this."

"I'm not," Zack shook his head. "I'm just—" he sprawled out in his seat as he pulled his uniform askew. "I don't know how I should act to this," sighing, he leaned his head back, staring at a point in the ceiling of no particular value. "I wanted to be there for her, hold her, console her that everything would be alright but—" he paused slightly. "You should have seen how violently she reacted to the memory of me, Cissnei. She was in serious pain and I don't know what I should do about that," he finally looked down to his can. "My own wife is writhing in pain and agony at the mere fact of trying to remember me. You cannot just expect me to waltz in there nonchalantly, can you?"

Cissnei stared at her friend, eyes trained at the can in which his grip had practically created a small dent. She had never seen him being out of composure before. He had always been the most positive person she had ever seen—and she had seen a lot. The only time that she had seen Zack in such misery was during Angeal's death. And if she had to be honest, Zack had totally gone to Aerith that time. Right now, though, his strongest support—the love of his life—had practically no recollections of ever seeing him. And Cissnei felt her heart broke.

"I have no idea what to do. I don't even know how to react," Zack's voice was low.

"But Vincent said all her tests came back normal. At the very least, we should believe that whatever happened, it shouldn't be permanent," Cissnei reached out to his hand, giving a firm squeeze to assure him. "So just get yourself together. You need to tough this one out for now, until she does."

Zack looked up slowly to meet Cissnei's gentle smile, and for once that day, he thought that perhaps he could be a bit stronger—even if it wouldn't be as much.

Aerith stirred, opening her eyes to greet the sight of the beautiful hue of sunset fanning across her room. It was almost dark. She had a short nap after visiting hour was over, just after her mother and her friends left. She sighed, shifting herself on the bed. Her sleepy mind barely noticed the rustle in the room before the door opened, and she threw a bleary glance just to find the sight of a sturdy back rushing to leave.

"Wait!" Aerith called out before she could stop herself.

And Zack halted in his hastiness. A short moment of silence filled between them. Zack didn't even dare to turn and face her. His brows furrowed slightly at the implication of her words. Aerith swallowed, blinking her slumber away as she thought of what she should say. Better yet, wasn't him leaving was what she would have preferred?

"You—you don't have to go," she said quietly as she sat up on her bed. She decided that it would be rude for her to chase him out after he had stayed by her side the entire time she was asleep.

He finally turned, a cheeky smile displayed on his lips. "I'd rather not disturb you."

"You're not," she shook her head.

Zack stared at her for some time before deciding to close the door. Scratching his head, he turned back to face her with a soft smile. "Well, your mom will come back tomorrow to see you. She said she needs to sort out stuff before staying with you here."

Aerith looked up to meet his eyes, allowing her to properly see him. Now that she did, she noticed that he was a rather handsome man. He was tall. His dark unruly hair stuck out haphazardly in a very manly way, framing his sharp facial features. And Aerith could not even begin how enticing his bright blue eyes were. Somehow, it seemed bluer than Cloud's.

"You were here the entire time?" Aerith willed herself back to reality.

Zack shrugged. "Well, I might be a nobody to you and the thought of us married my throw you off but to me, you're still my wife. I can't just go home and act as if nothing happen when you're in here, bedridden," he chuckled slightly.

"Excuse me? I'm not bedridden. I can walk just as fine. They just warded me to rest," Aerith huffed in protest, crossing her arms on her chest in a defensive manner. Her head tilted slightly as she leaned forward in her excitement.

Zack grinned at her gesture. She never really changed. She was still the stubborn Aerith who loved to tease and never wanted to lose. "Then rest. I'll wait outside if you're uncomfortable."

She blinked, biting her lips at his thought. She wasn't even sure how to respond to his kindness. Such gesture was rather alienating.

Zack simply smiled at her response. "Vincent said this would be temporary. And I'd like nothing but to get back to normal. But if it means having you doubling over in pain like you did earlier, I'd rather you stop trying to remember."

Aerith's eyes widened. He was still smiling, as if none of these ever bothered him. But Aerith could still see the tinge of pain in his eyes when he forced out the words.

"All I ask is that you trust me when I say that what matters to me most is that you're alright and well cared for. Would that be okay for you?" he added expectantly.

It took her a while to register his request before she finally smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Fair-san," she said, oblivious to the damage the formality of her address was dealing to him.

But instead of showing his disdain, he gave her a shaky grin and nodded. "Good. Then I'll be in the waiting room and check out on you once in a while, okay. Just call me if you need anything," he waved slightly. And in that small gesture of his, the light reflected off the surface of the gold band on his ring finger.

And when the door of her room closed again, Aerith wished she could remember this guy. Not just because she wanted to get away from the pitiful glances from other people. She wanted to know who he was. Because she never met another person who could look in so much pain and still do his best to smile in front of her even though it was obvious to her that it was killing him inside.

The next two days when Vincent told her that she was fit for discharge, she received her belongings handed back to her. Her handbag was a mess. It was barely recognizable with all the tears and filthy dirt all over it. She thought she could use a new one soon as she went through her belongings. Her phone was scratched and battered, but she was surprised to find out that it was still working. Her dainty fingers wiped out the screen before unlocking to find several messages and missed calls from random people. And she smiled at their concern—not that they hadn't come to visit her. The past few days she had been receiving a lot of visitors that definitely warmed her heart to know how much they care. And she smiled fondly at the thought before closing all menus to put her phone on standby.

She stilled completely when she did.

Right there on her personal cell phone wallpaper, was the picture of her and the man who assured her he was her husband. Her one hand was hugging his neck—her other hand extended as far as it would go as she took a shot of them on her own—, face tucked closely below his head while his strong arms secured gently around her waist. They were smiling so happily. And there was little doubt in her mind that what she saw on it were two people deeply in mutual love with one another.

And she could never get over the fact of how endearing and happy they both seemed.

She wasn't sure what to think. She felt bad enough that she thought that the girl on the photo might just be her look alike. Because there wasn't even a smidgeon of that girl left within her—at least not when it came to him. The last two days after their talk, she was finally able to accept him constantly by her side like a guardian, but definitely not to that extent.

The last item that she took out of the bag was a golden wedding band, which they must had taken off her finger before rushing her to the emergency room. It was covered in dirt and blood, so she wiped it clean with the hem of her shirt before taking a long good look at it.

"Are you ready?" a voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she almost dropped the ring in her startling.

"Yes," she answered pleasantly with a smile, closing her fingers around the wedding ring to hide it from Zack's view. "I'm good to go," she reaffirmed and she stood, striding past him to finally leave the hospital before she could come back for work—since she would be on medical leave for a few days. She could almost swear that the tiny weight of the ring in her hand had multiplied a thousand times over and placed itself heavily like a boulder over her chest.

It was really disconcerting how familiar yet unusual her own apartment felt to her once she set foot over its threshold. Her mind got foggy whenever she tried to remember why she got the place to begin with, let alone her everyday life there. But as she entered and looked around the premises, her hands and feet found their way as though entirely on their own.

"Sorry, things were not in place the past few days when you're warded. I'm hopeless," Zack put away her belongings as she sat down the couch, making herself at home. And when Zack took off his jacket to hang it somewhere, she finally seemed to get a grasp of reality as she turned to send him a querying glance.

"What?" Zack raised his brows when she continued staring intently at him as he got himself some water from the refrigerator.

She took a second longer before prodding. "You said we're married right?"

"Uh, yeah...?" he mustered his courage to answer nonchalantly at that.

"So this isn't my place, is it?"

He blinked several times before placing his glass on the kitchen counter. She lost him completely there—he had no idea what she meant with that. His bemusement must have shown on his face, because it prompted her to elaborate tentatively.

"It's... our place?"

Zack's brows rose as understanding dawned upon him. He let out a soft chuckle to mask the bitter awkward in his heart. "Yes," he confirmed with a shrug. "I live here."

It was her turn to raise her brows in understanding. He could see how awkward she shifted in her seat at his answer. It was funny how his lawfully wedded wife insinuated with her overall attitude and entire body language that she was definitely not comfortable to stay in their home they had been sharing since past two years—and that she fully expected him to sleep on the couch or that she would as long as they didn't sleep in the same room.

It was the kind of joke that Zack wasn't able to laugh at no matter how cheerful he tried to be in the situation.

A/N: Special thanks for those who had supported the story especially ren7720, lightning1997 and 921350 for reviewing the previous chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too. :)