Wow chapter 25 guys! Big thanks to all of you as always for your support on this story!

Chapter 25

Through the doors of the small church that was situated in Sector 5, a small humming sound could be heard if you listened closely. The sunlight beared down through the small hole in the roof, the energy nurturing the large area of flowers that were blossoming through the ground. The flowers were being well kept as a woman moved around them, making sure they had plenty of water for the day.

The humming suddenly stopped as she ceased her movement. Her head snapped up quickly as a pair of bright, emerald eyes stared up at the hole in the roof, directly towards the sky.

"Such a pretty day today. The sun feels so warm. It's different from usual too."

She didn't know what this feeling was, but her heart told her there was change coming. Though in what manner was something she couldn't figure out. Her gaze continued to fixate on the hole in the roof, until she finally averted her eyes.

"The clouds. They're moving curiously. I wonder… No, I guess I shouldn't stare too long…" she trailed off as she closed her eyes and hung her head.

Normally the sun was something not to be stared at for too long. But that wasn't why she turned away. Thoughts of promises in the past began to resurface again. And the hole in the roof only served as a reminder to that. It wasn't a bad thing, at least in her eyes. However, sometimes it just didn't quite seem fair to linger too much.

After that she went back to tending to her flowers. She smiled to herself as she saw how full of life and vibrant they all were. It was a special rarity in all of Midgar, and she intended to keep it that way.

Slowly she began to hum a little melody to herself while going back to her daily routine. However the more she focused on the flowers, the more her mind wandered, which was not something that normally would happen. The reason she could even have the flowers was because of one person… one man.

She couldn't take it anymore and she her thoughts finally give way. They drifted away from all of this, from the church and all of the slums. They fell into a peaceful place that she hadn't thought about in quite some time. But with that peacefulness also came a heavy pain.

Carefully she took a flower and brought it over her heart while she meditated over her memories. A stray thought then entered her mind. "I wonder what I would do if he actually did walk back through that door…"

She trailed off with her words, but then corrected herself. She thought she had given up on that lofty dream. "Don't be silly Aerith. You know that won't happen."

A few seconds later, a loud knock rang through the church. Aerith's heart skipped a beat. She threw her eyes open and looked towards the doorway. Once her eyes focused well enough, they grew wide with surprise. The flower she was holding fell from her hands and found its way to the ground.

A tall man stood in the doorway of the church. She could never forget his puppy face, his slick black hair, or the bright blue eyes that were unlike any other. She may not have been able to recognize the clothes he was wearing, but any doubts were put to rest by the large sword he carried on his back.

A grin came to his face as he looked squarely at her.

"You miss me, Aerith?"

Even with hearing his voice, she couldn't believe it. She could feel her heard twisting and pounding against her chest the longer she words almost were stuck in her throat, but she managed to push them out, or at least one word that would mean everything. "Z-Zack?"

Was it really him? Surely she must be dreaming in that moment. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes thoroughly, thinking she must have been seeing visions. However, when she opened them and looked back, he was still standing there. Her heart began to beat even faster.

"It's… really is you."

Zack hesitated at first, realizing it had been so long since he had seen her. He was barely able to utter those words before to her, even though he was trying to keep his cool demeanor. As he tried to process what to say next, he walked a little bit farther into the church.

"Yeah it's me. I'm… sorry it's been so long.." he managed softly as his words tapered off, a lump in his throat forming.

Aerith felt pained at the moment. Confusion arose within her being, within her heart. She wanted to run forward and embrace the man she had fallen for so long ago. But at the same time, she was nervous, and wasn't sure how to deal with his sudden presence. Mixed emotions, surprise and elation, sadness and anger, it all welled inside of her.

However, she managed to walk forward a bit more as well, albeit slowly. "It's been, so long Zack. I waited for a while," she spoke, her voice shaky.

"Yeah, I know," Zack replied, feeling a tinge of guilt. He tried smiling as best as he could. "But hey, I made it back."

Aerith smiled too, though that pain still lingered. It was all still so much that she was trying to take in, and Zack was slowly approaching her. "I… um Zack…"

Once he was close to her, the two stared at each other intently. Aerith glanced away once, redness filling her cheeks. But she soon returned to Zack's unwavering gaze. She found herself lost in his deep, blue eyes, as if caught in a trance.

Likewise, Zack kept his eyes locked on her. He had longed to see her for so long, and he almost couldn't believe he was finally in front of her again.

"Aerith… I was afraid that I'd never see you again," he started.

But soon, she fell forward right into him, wrapping her arms around to his back. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. Though her emotions may be locked in a struggle, she knew how she felt in that moment.

Zack returned the gesture and embraced her. He had missed this, being around her. He had forgotten how she radiated a gentle warmness that always seemed to soothe anything.

The two stayed like that for a couple of minutes, neither saying another word as they just took the moment in as much as they could.

Though, once they separated, Aerith found herself unsure once again. She stepped back slightly, gripping her arm and turning her head. A small tear escaped her eye.

"I'm sorry, Zack. I… I just… I don't know…"

"Wait… what do you mean? What don't you know?" Zack asked, his voice teetering on the edge of sounding broken.

She allowed a long sigh to escape her lips. "I'm so happy to see you. But at the same time, I'm still upset and it's just… a lot to process."

"Aerith… I… I didn't mean to be gone. There was nothing I could do. I've been looking forward to seeing you again every single day," he said with a rushed tone.

"I had been as well. And still am. But still… you've been gone for so long. And I didn't know what to do," she uttered as she looked up, tears falling from her eyes now. "I wanted to believe you'd come back. I waited for a long time."

"I, I know you waited. I waited too. I just… I'm trying to find the words…" he trailed off.

However Aerith didn't miss a beat. "I sent letters until I just couldn't bear the thought of doing it anymore. I started to give up. Had you found someone else? Were you tired of me? I thought work may have called you away too. I didn't know if you had maybe… died…"

"I would never run away from you!" he exclaimed in shock. "You were right about work. And I can explain it all. If you let me."

"I want to Zack. I want to be here with you right now. But I also want to scream at you. I just don't know…" she said, small sniffling being heard.

"Oh man… please don't cry. I… I guess you hate me really don't you? For being gone. I hate myself for it. I've feared this for a while, but hoped it wouldn't happen," Zack said as he began to tear up as well. "You're the reason I went so far. I can't let it all be for nothing!"

"Zack, please don't think that-"

"Please don't reject me!" Zack shouted suddenly. He reached his hands up to grip onto his hair. "I can't… You kept me going this whole time… You were my motivation to keep going. The only one that meant anything to me anymore! If you reject me and leave me… I… I don't know what I'll do…"

Zack gave up on trying to hold the strength in his legs. He dropped to the floor and let out a loud exashetered sigh. "Aerith please… I need you. I just wanted things to be okay… to have some happiness left to look forward to…"

Cloud peaked in around the door after hearing Zack yell. He couldn't help but be curious, especially after some of what he just heard. He wanted to go to Zack, but he still tried to be respectful, despite his own wishes. He sighed quietly to himself, still staying outside of the church. "Zack…"

Meanwhile, Aerith went over to Zack and knelt down next to him, making sure she was close so he could hear. "Zack, I'm not rejecting you. I just need time, I think. For us to get things back on track."

"And that means I won't be able to see you…"

"No, that's not it. I still want to see you. Just, let's not rush into things so soon."

He almost spoke again but he decided against it. He knew to not keep pressing the issue. Even though it hurt, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Aerith any more. He breathed in deeply quite a few times as Aerith gave him the time. Then a small sigh escaped his lips.

"Look, I get it. I've been gone for a while. I know it must have worried you. I kinda had a feeling things might be… strange. But hey, a man can hope right?" Zack tried to joke, but it was obviously forced.

"Oh Zack…" Aerith spoke softly.

She wrapped her arms around him again. He let her hang on him, the two of them relishing each second. It felt as though he was melting there in the moment. It was a nice feeling, but Zack could tell there was some distance even with the gesture.

Nevertheless, it was something good for a change. At least based on what he had been going through. It wasn't easy, but he knew he would have to accept it. He did still wish that things could go right back to how they were, but he had to remember that five years had passed. Five long years and things were now different between the two of them.

"Let's do it your way then. Kinda a fresh start," Zack croaked out.

He began to stand up, extending his hand to her as he did. A small smile tried to form for him, causing her to return it. She placed her hand in his own. However, when she finally looked down, something wasn't quite right.

"Zack, your hand. Why does it… look so different?" she questioned aloud before running her hand over his metal exterior. "Zack… What happened?"

Zack turned his head away, trying not to see her worried expression over seeing his arm. "It's nothing… just a little trouble on my way here. That's all. No need to worry about it, I'm fine now and used to it."

Quickly Zack began to smile and pulled up Aerith to her feet. It was another forced one, but it was far less noticeable. He then stepped back and pulled up his sleeve, showing off his arm to her. "It looks pretty cool right?"

Aerith had a concerned look across her face. She couldn't help but worry about what had been going on. There must have been something to what he was trying to tell her before. Now upon seeing that, she wanted to hear his story for sure. Any doubts were now gone.

"I guess? But, that's not the point. Tell me. I'll listen," she said simply and honestly.

"All right! Oh! But first," Zack turned around and faced the entrance of the church. "Hey Cloud! You can come on it and say hi!"

Aerith watched as a young man walked into the church seconds later. He looked to be around the same age as Zack, though he was much smaller in size. He was far less strongly built like Zack, but there seemed to be some muscle to him from what Aerith could guess.

Zack turned around and gestured to Cloud one he was standing next to the two of them. "Aerith, this is my best friend Cloud! We've been through a lot together, before and after we decided to ditch Shinra."

"Ah yeah," Cloud nodded before looked to Aerith. "Hi."

"Oh, nice to meet you," she said kindly with a smile towards him. She then turned back to Zack. "So, you guys have been traveling together then?"

Zack scratched his head. "Well, that's where it gets kinda complicated. We were on a mission but… things happened."

Cloud seemed to shudder for a moment. "Yeah, but hoping things can be better. At least that's what Zack said."

Aerith hummed thoughtfully and then seemed to think of something. "I got it. Why don't we just go to my house and we can be a bit more comfortable there."

"I've never been inside before. It's been a while since I've seen the place too," Zack said aloud.

"Yeah, you never did have the time to come over…" Aerith trailed off.

An awkward silence poured over them for a moment. A moment later Zack cleared his throat. "Well all of that is about to change. I'm free to do whatever I want whenever I want. So let's go and relax and I'll tell you the story."

Aerith smiled. "All right, that sounds nice."

After that the three of them turned to head out of the church, heading out into the slums with Aerith leading the way.

Riku: We have finally gotten back to Midgar! And finally to the part all of you have been waiting for!

Tmart: We can't just have it all happy go lucky sadly. As Zack said himself, the price of freedom is steep.