Chapter 30: Renewed Love
The gentleness of the stream swirled around her body peacefully as she floated downwards, with her body slightly telling forward as if she was to end up lying on her stomach.
Her eyes remained shut calmly as her arms floated upwards towards her head lifelessly.
She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came, in fact nothing seemed to emerge from her mouth even as she gently continued to float downwards. But. she wasn't desperate for air. Maybe she had already passed into the world..
Suddenly, her desperate demand for air arrived finally and she instantly shot her eyes open to see blue all around her as she through her head up, breaking the surface.
Soon she could feel the ground firm under her and she realized she was sitting in the middle of a stream now as she was gasping for air.
Water droplets fell from her soaked body back into the gentle stream below her and Aeris slowly began to regain her full sight as she stared up into the sky. As she glanced around the area, filling in every detail she began to laugh, a smile stretched across her face as she did so.
"I'm back! Yes!" she cried as she joyfully lifted herself from the liquid and began to kick it around playfully. She shook out the remaining water that hadn't left her, out of her hair to at least dry it half way before going near anyone that she hoped was around.
An overwhelming sense of emotions seemed to over power her now as she jumped around playfully still.
Suddenly, a bullet came ripping in front of her eyes, just inches from the tip of her nose.
Her eyes grew large instantly and she fell back into the water in shock. As she struck the surface, a huge explosion sounded nearby.
Too frightened to move or breathe she remained floating on the surface of the stream now.
Deep sounds echoed through the shallow waters of stampeding people, or so she believed them to be.
Her body began to grow colder as the noise grew louder and drummed throughout her head, as if it was suddenly turning winter in only a couple seconds.
Aeris gently pushed herself up, water streamed fro her already soaked hair as she did so and her eyes seemed to bulge from her head.
Hundreds of snow rabbits were charging towards her fiercely, looking extremely frightened it seemed. Aeris took a quick guess at what frightened them, figuring it was most likely the bullets that nearly had cut her life to a complete stop.
The water seemed to freeze around her entire body as she sat dormant as the snow rabbits edged closer towards her quickly.
Something seemed to click in her head at that moment and she pushed herself up out of the stream.
For a split second she turned towards the rabbits and noticed that as they hopped they drug snowfields behind them making the summer scenery instantly disappear into a winter wonderland instead.
After that moment she knew if she didn't move from them that if they passed her, the water that covered her body would swiftly freeze over and in case her within it.
Her soaked dress grew heavier quickly as she shot off through the plains. The warm sun beamed down upon her wet body, drying it slowly but surely. The rabbits were gaining fast, through and her only hope was that the sun would dry her off before they reached her at least.
The bottom of her rosy pink dress slapped against the sides of her growing tired legs, nearly pulling her down each time it struck her.
She felt as if she was running from and over powering avalanche that was speeding towards her unable to be stopped and Aeris greatly was consumed in fear by it.
"Hey get out of the way!" cried a young man's voice to her she guessed.
Aeris continued to run though, to stunned and confused to stop, knowing that if she went off just the slightest bit that they would reach her.
"MOVE!" He screamed again fierce fully.
"I can't move!" Aeris called out not knowing when he where he was standing.
"Yes you can! Just stop! They go right passed you!" he called out and Aeris already knew the consequence to that foolish move.
"And then I'll become a human Popsicle I won't move!"
"Then you'll just be running for miles because they won't stop for you!" he screamed over there thundering footsteps.
"Aeris!" called another man, this time he sounded extremely familiar, probably because he was closer now.
She turned her head confusingly around to find the source of his voice but couldn't find it anywhere.
"Aeris just stop! I'll unfreeze you but you have to stop!"
"Where are y-.." She cried but was quickly silenced as she cut herself off with an ear-piercing scream.
The ground suddenly began to take a complete drop below her and she realized she was heading towards an endless cliff.
Aeris knew that the rabbits would surely live through the drop but she wouldn't have a chance.
"Stop, Aeris!" he cried again and she finally met eyes with him.
Zack was hurtling along the sides watching her concerningly as she ran in fear. She closed her eyes and slowly nodded to him and began to slow herself down with the snow rabbits almost at her heels.
They quickly rushed passed her within seconds and she could feel the deep pain of the water that had remained on her delicate body rise and start to harden, pinching a her with frost bite.
Soon, as the last rabbits passed her, she could no longer move her fingers or even her whole arm.
She had been frozen like a statue in the middle of the field now.
Aeris was not in a block of ice but rather she looked more like a porcelain doll, position in a delicate way, glistening with the sun's gentle rays pouring down onto her body.
Her lips were purged, frozen shut along with her eyes. Her fingers were extended backwards, along with her arms and it looked as if she was trying to fly.
Zack rushed over to her frozen body, and reached back only to see her arms were stretched out behind her slender body in an elegant way. Her softly gripped her hand with his to warm it, even the slightest bit.
"If you can hear me. you look like a delicate glass ordainment, more like an angel that would be fit for the front of the best ship." He whispered while a small smile crossed his face.
Aeris could hear him and she tried to open her eyes and smile at him but the ice kept her still as could be despite her attempts to break free.
"I know you think it's funny and want to laugh at me right now though." He tried to tell her, chuckling through his teeth.
"Give me just a few minutes and you'll be unfrozen in no time." Zack encouraged her softly as he let go of her still, cold hand. Calmly, he walked to the front of her and placed his hands over her shoulders, sliding them back down towards her elbows. It slid them gently back up to her neck and leaned in close to her, starting to focus his energy into his fingertips, beginning to melt the ice away.
"I love you," he whispered and Aeris felt as if she would melt the ice off herself with his soft words that she had been waiting to hear again for so long now.
Zack pushed himself closer and captured her frozen lips with his own, instantly melting the ice away from them while his fingers produced enough heat to melt the ice around her body quickly.
Within seconds, she was able to move her arms again and she brought them up gently to wrap them around his neck. He shuttered slightly at her cold touch against his skin but quickly stopped as he pulled her close to him.
Finally she regained the feeling within her face and felt his lips against her own and pressed back against his long fully.
As he pulled out the blanket they had once used on Cid's first ship and wrapped it around her calmly to warm her.
Softly, he slipped his left hand down below her knees and swept her up from the ground so he could hold her.
"How did you get out of the lifestream?" Aeris asked trying hard to shudder from the piercing coldness that pinched at her neck and face.
"Shhh. We'll talk later." He told her calmly as he pulled her to his warm body lovingly and began to walk with her still in his arms.
"Where are we?" Aeris asked confusingly after the first few minutes of walking.
"Near the bone village on the third continent I think." He told her gently as he turned his gaze towards the sun.
"Zack. isn't that right next to the Forgotten City?" She asked curiously as she began to drift off into a deep sleep.
"I don't really know. maybe but you should wait awhile before talking again, Aeris. You really need your rest now, O.K.?" he told her lovingly.
"I'm going to try and stay awake." she whispered but drifted off into her slumber after her final words to him.
Zack smiled gently down at her as he pulled her close to his chest in comfort as he continued onward towards the nearest town.
The gentleness of the stream swirled around her body peacefully as she floated downwards, with her body slightly telling forward as if she was to end up lying on her stomach.
Her eyes remained shut calmly as her arms floated upwards towards her head lifelessly.
She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came, in fact nothing seemed to emerge from her mouth even as she gently continued to float downwards. But. she wasn't desperate for air. Maybe she had already passed into the world..
Suddenly, her desperate demand for air arrived finally and she instantly shot her eyes open to see blue all around her as she through her head up, breaking the surface.
Soon she could feel the ground firm under her and she realized she was sitting in the middle of a stream now as she was gasping for air.
Water droplets fell from her soaked body back into the gentle stream below her and Aeris slowly began to regain her full sight as she stared up into the sky. As she glanced around the area, filling in every detail she began to laugh, a smile stretched across her face as she did so.
"I'm back! Yes!" she cried as she joyfully lifted herself from the liquid and began to kick it around playfully. She shook out the remaining water that hadn't left her, out of her hair to at least dry it half way before going near anyone that she hoped was around.
An overwhelming sense of emotions seemed to over power her now as she jumped around playfully still.
Suddenly, a bullet came ripping in front of her eyes, just inches from the tip of her nose.
Her eyes grew large instantly and she fell back into the water in shock. As she struck the surface, a huge explosion sounded nearby.
Too frightened to move or breathe she remained floating on the surface of the stream now.
Deep sounds echoed through the shallow waters of stampeding people, or so she believed them to be.
Her body began to grow colder as the noise grew louder and drummed throughout her head, as if it was suddenly turning winter in only a couple seconds.
Aeris gently pushed herself up, water streamed fro her already soaked hair as she did so and her eyes seemed to bulge from her head.
Hundreds of snow rabbits were charging towards her fiercely, looking extremely frightened it seemed. Aeris took a quick guess at what frightened them, figuring it was most likely the bullets that nearly had cut her life to a complete stop.
The water seemed to freeze around her entire body as she sat dormant as the snow rabbits edged closer towards her quickly.
Something seemed to click in her head at that moment and she pushed herself up out of the stream.
For a split second she turned towards the rabbits and noticed that as they hopped they drug snowfields behind them making the summer scenery instantly disappear into a winter wonderland instead.
After that moment she knew if she didn't move from them that if they passed her, the water that covered her body would swiftly freeze over and in case her within it.
Her soaked dress grew heavier quickly as she shot off through the plains. The warm sun beamed down upon her wet body, drying it slowly but surely. The rabbits were gaining fast, through and her only hope was that the sun would dry her off before they reached her at least.
The bottom of her rosy pink dress slapped against the sides of her growing tired legs, nearly pulling her down each time it struck her.
She felt as if she was running from and over powering avalanche that was speeding towards her unable to be stopped and Aeris greatly was consumed in fear by it.
"Hey get out of the way!" cried a young man's voice to her she guessed.
Aeris continued to run though, to stunned and confused to stop, knowing that if she went off just the slightest bit that they would reach her.
"MOVE!" He screamed again fierce fully.
"I can't move!" Aeris called out not knowing when he where he was standing.
"Yes you can! Just stop! They go right passed you!" he called out and Aeris already knew the consequence to that foolish move.
"And then I'll become a human Popsicle I won't move!"
"Then you'll just be running for miles because they won't stop for you!" he screamed over there thundering footsteps.
"Aeris!" called another man, this time he sounded extremely familiar, probably because he was closer now.
She turned her head confusingly around to find the source of his voice but couldn't find it anywhere.
"Aeris just stop! I'll unfreeze you but you have to stop!"
"Where are y-.." She cried but was quickly silenced as she cut herself off with an ear-piercing scream.
The ground suddenly began to take a complete drop below her and she realized she was heading towards an endless cliff.
Aeris knew that the rabbits would surely live through the drop but she wouldn't have a chance.
"Stop, Aeris!" he cried again and she finally met eyes with him.
Zack was hurtling along the sides watching her concerningly as she ran in fear. She closed her eyes and slowly nodded to him and began to slow herself down with the snow rabbits almost at her heels.
They quickly rushed passed her within seconds and she could feel the deep pain of the water that had remained on her delicate body rise and start to harden, pinching a her with frost bite.
Soon, as the last rabbits passed her, she could no longer move her fingers or even her whole arm.
She had been frozen like a statue in the middle of the field now.
Aeris was not in a block of ice but rather she looked more like a porcelain doll, position in a delicate way, glistening with the sun's gentle rays pouring down onto her body.
Her lips were purged, frozen shut along with her eyes. Her fingers were extended backwards, along with her arms and it looked as if she was trying to fly.
Zack rushed over to her frozen body, and reached back only to see her arms were stretched out behind her slender body in an elegant way. Her softly gripped her hand with his to warm it, even the slightest bit.
"If you can hear me. you look like a delicate glass ordainment, more like an angel that would be fit for the front of the best ship." He whispered while a small smile crossed his face.
Aeris could hear him and she tried to open her eyes and smile at him but the ice kept her still as could be despite her attempts to break free.
"I know you think it's funny and want to laugh at me right now though." He tried to tell her, chuckling through his teeth.
"Give me just a few minutes and you'll be unfrozen in no time." Zack encouraged her softly as he let go of her still, cold hand. Calmly, he walked to the front of her and placed his hands over her shoulders, sliding them back down towards her elbows. It slid them gently back up to her neck and leaned in close to her, starting to focus his energy into his fingertips, beginning to melt the ice away.
"I love you," he whispered and Aeris felt as if she would melt the ice off herself with his soft words that she had been waiting to hear again for so long now.
Zack pushed himself closer and captured her frozen lips with his own, instantly melting the ice away from them while his fingers produced enough heat to melt the ice around her body quickly.
Within seconds, she was able to move her arms again and she brought them up gently to wrap them around his neck. He shuttered slightly at her cold touch against his skin but quickly stopped as he pulled her close to him.
Finally she regained the feeling within her face and felt his lips against her own and pressed back against his long fully.
As he pulled out the blanket they had once used on Cid's first ship and wrapped it around her calmly to warm her.
Softly, he slipped his left hand down below her knees and swept her up from the ground so he could hold her.
"How did you get out of the lifestream?" Aeris asked trying hard to shudder from the piercing coldness that pinched at her neck and face.
"Shhh. We'll talk later." He told her calmly as he pulled her to his warm body lovingly and began to walk with her still in his arms.
"Where are we?" Aeris asked confusingly after the first few minutes of walking.
"Near the bone village on the third continent I think." He told her gently as he turned his gaze towards the sun.
"Zack. isn't that right next to the Forgotten City?" She asked curiously as she began to drift off into a deep sleep.
"I don't really know. maybe but you should wait awhile before talking again, Aeris. You really need your rest now, O.K.?" he told her lovingly.
"I'm going to try and stay awake." she whispered but drifted off into her slumber after her final words to him.
Zack smiled gently down at her as he pulled her close to his chest in comfort as he continued onward towards the nearest town.