Chapter 5
Aeris awoke to find herself still lying on Zack's lap. The day had gone and it was dark again. She sighed deeply and looked around to see if Dyne was still around. She couldn't see him but she could hear his deep snoring in front of her. She closed her eyes trying to return to her deep sleep but couldn't. Looking around she noticed it was all flat around the plains and she knew her chance was now or never. Slowly she pushed herself off Zack's lap and sat there for a moment looking back at him. His mouth was slightly open and his head was slumped against his shoulder as a pillow. She softly giggled at him and pushed herself up gently standing over the two, letting her hair flow down from her side to behind her.
Aeris started to walk from them towards a cliff that hung shallowly over a small lake. As she stood she looked over into the water remembering a fable that her teacher had once told her. She slowly sat down in front of it swinging her right leg over it as she stared at her reflection.
"Once there was a young woman who thought she was beautiful…" She started, whispering it slightly so not to wake the others, "and she always came to a lake to look down at her reflection…" Aeris suddenly stopped as she heard faint footsteps behind her. She turned swiftly to see Zack was coming towards her.
"And a man lived on the other side of the lake." He said looking down at her and then into the water.
"And one day she and the man fell into the lake…" Aeris continued looking up at him as he sat down beside her.
"And then they came up as one," He finished as he looked up from the water to her. "I heard that story when I was a kid," He told her laughing slightly.
"My… mother told me it when… well before she left me." Aeris told him as she looked away from him and picked up a rock near the edge and skipped it across the lake.
"Yeah I know," He said as he put a hand on her shoulder and then slid it off noticing she wasn't moving.
"No you don't know," She told him shaking her head after a moment and then turning away from him. "She was attacked because of me. Hojo was the name that I'd been told ever since I was young from my mother. I never knew my father… She told me that he died trying to protect both of us from the Shrina when I was…"
"20 days old, and then your mother died when you were 5, slaughtered from the Shrina and Eleana found you next to your dying mother as she spoke her last words to her. Telling her that she wanted her to take care of you," He finished looking over to Aeris as she quickly turned to him.
"How'd you know that?" She asked him with a shocked look on her face as he just looked back at her calmly.
"Well, you told me."
"I… I did?"
"Yeah, you told me when we were living in Midgar together in the same sector." He quickly told her leaning a little closer to her. Aeris slightly moved herself near him and started to close her eyes as they became inches apart from each other and finally…
"Hey! You guys are up early!" Dyne suddenly yelled as Zack stumbled forward passed her and then quickly pushed himself perfectly upright.
"Uhhh.. yeah, I wasn't very tired." Zack quickly said as he jumped to his feet and looked to Dyne starting to stumble over his own words. Aeris did the same, not daring to say a word and started passed him back to the oak tree looking as if she was still tired.
"So what's up with her?" He asked Zack as he started to follow her and then stopped.
"Nothing, she's just confused about what happened that's all." He quickly said to him trying to get himself back to where Aeris was. She was now sitting against the tree with her knees pulled up in front of her and her arms gently crossed and lying on them with her head down.
"So what were you doing?" Dyne said curiously with a smirk on his face that made Zack panic and look everywhere but at Dyne.
"N- Nothing, I was just talking to her about her family." He said quickly trying to push passed him but Dyne grabbed his arm as he went passed tightening his grip around it. He leaned over gently to him and narrowed his eyes at him looking a little angered.
"Don't try anything to get in my way, you know how much I like her…" He said quickly and then through his arm off him crossing it with his other looking across the lake quietly. Aeris watched the whole thing squinting at Dyne wondering why he was acting so strangely. As Zack started to make his way back over she quickly turned her head back into her folded arms and began fall back to sleep as Zack sat down beside her silently.
Aeris awoke to find herself still lying on Zack's lap. The day had gone and it was dark again. She sighed deeply and looked around to see if Dyne was still around. She couldn't see him but she could hear his deep snoring in front of her. She closed her eyes trying to return to her deep sleep but couldn't. Looking around she noticed it was all flat around the plains and she knew her chance was now or never. Slowly she pushed herself off Zack's lap and sat there for a moment looking back at him. His mouth was slightly open and his head was slumped against his shoulder as a pillow. She softly giggled at him and pushed herself up gently standing over the two, letting her hair flow down from her side to behind her.
Aeris started to walk from them towards a cliff that hung shallowly over a small lake. As she stood she looked over into the water remembering a fable that her teacher had once told her. She slowly sat down in front of it swinging her right leg over it as she stared at her reflection.
"Once there was a young woman who thought she was beautiful…" She started, whispering it slightly so not to wake the others, "and she always came to a lake to look down at her reflection…" Aeris suddenly stopped as she heard faint footsteps behind her. She turned swiftly to see Zack was coming towards her.
"And a man lived on the other side of the lake." He said looking down at her and then into the water.
"And one day she and the man fell into the lake…" Aeris continued looking up at him as he sat down beside her.
"And then they came up as one," He finished as he looked up from the water to her. "I heard that story when I was a kid," He told her laughing slightly.
"My… mother told me it when… well before she left me." Aeris told him as she looked away from him and picked up a rock near the edge and skipped it across the lake.
"Yeah I know," He said as he put a hand on her shoulder and then slid it off noticing she wasn't moving.
"No you don't know," She told him shaking her head after a moment and then turning away from him. "She was attacked because of me. Hojo was the name that I'd been told ever since I was young from my mother. I never knew my father… She told me that he died trying to protect both of us from the Shrina when I was…"
"20 days old, and then your mother died when you were 5, slaughtered from the Shrina and Eleana found you next to your dying mother as she spoke her last words to her. Telling her that she wanted her to take care of you," He finished looking over to Aeris as she quickly turned to him.
"How'd you know that?" She asked him with a shocked look on her face as he just looked back at her calmly.
"Well, you told me."
"I… I did?"
"Yeah, you told me when we were living in Midgar together in the same sector." He quickly told her leaning a little closer to her. Aeris slightly moved herself near him and started to close her eyes as they became inches apart from each other and finally…
"Hey! You guys are up early!" Dyne suddenly yelled as Zack stumbled forward passed her and then quickly pushed himself perfectly upright.
"Uhhh.. yeah, I wasn't very tired." Zack quickly said as he jumped to his feet and looked to Dyne starting to stumble over his own words. Aeris did the same, not daring to say a word and started passed him back to the oak tree looking as if she was still tired.
"So what's up with her?" He asked Zack as he started to follow her and then stopped.
"Nothing, she's just confused about what happened that's all." He quickly said to him trying to get himself back to where Aeris was. She was now sitting against the tree with her knees pulled up in front of her and her arms gently crossed and lying on them with her head down.
"So what were you doing?" Dyne said curiously with a smirk on his face that made Zack panic and look everywhere but at Dyne.
"N- Nothing, I was just talking to her about her family." He said quickly trying to push passed him but Dyne grabbed his arm as he went passed tightening his grip around it. He leaned over gently to him and narrowed his eyes at him looking a little angered.
"Don't try anything to get in my way, you know how much I like her…" He said quickly and then through his arm off him crossing it with his other looking across the lake quietly. Aeris watched the whole thing squinting at Dyne wondering why he was acting so strangely. As Zack started to make his way back over she quickly turned her head back into her folded arms and began fall back to sleep as Zack sat down beside her silently.