"Life After Death" by idura-chan
A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction
Disclaimer: Characters and other names from Final Fantasy VII all belong to Squaresoft and whoever else whom owns them. I'm merely borrowing them for this story. No infringement intended, so please don't sue me!
Chapter 4: The Lost Love
I never thought I'd die young. As stereotypical as it may sound, I've always dreamed of getting married to the most beautiful woman on the Planet, have kids, grow old, and die a happy man. But I guess fate had other plans for me. Ever since I could remember, proving myself by being in SOLDIER was my ultimate dream. I was so proud when I was ranked First Class. And to have had the honor of fighting alongside Sephiroth made the dream even sweeter. But when I made my promise to her, I realized that being a First Class SOLDIER was just a temporary dream. What I truly wanted was to share my life with her, the woman that I love, and never look back. During the ride to Nibelheim for that mission where Sephiroth completely lost his insanity, I reckoned that I could finally fulfill my promise that I would come back to her when everything was over. We would finally be happy together for the rest of our lives. Boy, I thought wrong.
*FLASHBACK*
The air in Midgar was warm that night. We had dinner at one of the restaurants in Wall Street and then went around town, just spending quality time with each other. She saw this pink spaghetti strapped dress and a small red jacket at one of the shops. I gave a low whistle when she came out of the dressing room to give me a firsthand view of the new outfit. I couldn't help but admire the way the dress accentuated her curves in all the right places. So I bought both the dress and jacket, much to her protest. After that, we headed to the playground just outside of Sector 5 and sat down at the top of the slide. Since there were no stars to count, we just sat back and talked about nothing and everything that came to mind. Though, we avoided talking about my leaving next day. It was for the Nibelheim mission, so I wanted to make the most of our last date and not dampen the mood. I felt that I would never get to see her in a long while and by the sad look on her face; I think she knew it too.
We held hands on the way home. When we reached her doorstep, I leaned in to kiss her goodnight, but she turned away and held the bag of new dress and jacket close to her chest. I could see her shoulders shook a little, indicating that she was crying. From behind, I put my hands on her shoulders and slide them up and down her arms, trying to sooth her. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. "Did I do something? Is it the new dress?" I knew I was babbling, but I was getting nervous. Aeris seldom cried. She was always so happy whenever we meet. Come to think of it, she was kind of quiet throughout dinner tonight. She wasn't as cheerful as she usually was. Was it because I was leaving for Nibelheim and would not be seeing her for a few months? I didn't think we were that serious. I mean, we've been dating for a few months now, but we're still teenagers. There're so many things in life I want to experience. Being a SOLDIER is part of that experience. I want to be able to travel all over the world too. I've heard of wonderful places besides Midgar and Junon. I wanted to see them all.
But now when I looked at Aeris, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. We may have been teenagers, but I knew that I wanted to experience life with her. I wanted to bring her to the places I've only heard of from other people. I wanted to whisk her away from Midgar, the only place that she's ever known to exist. Looking at the tears staining her cheeks made me cry myself. I suddenly realized that I didn't want to leave her. I didn't want to leave for the mission to Nibelheim. Will I ever see her again? Sephiroth said that the mission was quite dangerous. But this was my first mission since I was promoted to First Class. I couldn't pass down this opportunity. It's important that I go.
"Zack, promise me you'll come back for me." Aeris held on to one of my hands that were on her shoulders. "Please, promise me."
I gently turned her around stared into her green eyes. They were brimming with tears, threatening to spill over and stain her soft cheeks. The sight was just heartbreaking. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.
"Please, Zack."
"Aeris, why are you like this all of a sudden? Come on, I'll be back as soon as it's over." I tried to act nonchalant even though her anxiety was affecting me.
"Zack, please! Promise me. I've never asked anything from you, but now I'm asking you to promise me this." She held on to my hand tighter and her eyes were pleading me for an answer.
She had a disturbed look on her face, as though she knew something dark but was afraid to tell me. I pulled her close for a tight hug. Then I relented and sighed. "I promise. I promise I'll come back to you when the mission's over. Don't worry, Aeris. I'll come back and we'll leave Midgar and explore the world together, you and I, alright?" I rested my cheek on the crown of her head and felt her nod against my chest. Finally she relaxed and released herself from our embrace. It was getting late, but we weren't ready to say our goodbyes just yet. We made out in her garden like there was no tomorrow. If people were to see us, we would look like a pair of horny teenagers. It's not like I've never thought about taking our relationship to the next level, but Aeris was a special girl. With her, I didn't feel like rushing into anything only regret it later. She's so innocent and pure that I didn't want to taint that just to satisfy my sexual hunger. When we do get to the next level, I wanted it to be meaningful. Though it seemed that night could be the special night, it wasn't to me or to her. We were content just making out until our lips were swollen and our tongues got tired of dueling with each other.
Before I left, I turned around to look at her one last time. She blew me a kiss and gave me a sad but lovely smile. A smile that was forever in my mind, like a bright torch, burning incessantly. That was the smile that helped me through the pain of having Sephiroth's sword stabbing my body. That was the smile that helped me endure Hojo's evil and torturous experiments in the Shin-Ra basement. That was the smile that pushed me to escape that forsaken mansion and head to Midgar with Cloud. And that was the smile I last saw when the bullets that ended my life went through me.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Now I'm in the Promised Land, making my usual visits to the Crystal Oracle. I was itching to go to Aeris' house and see her, but thought that maybe she would want to spend quality time with her family. When I heard that she was the newcomer, I couldn't believe my ears and had to confirm it with her mother, Ifalna. Why must the good ones die young? Especially Aeris, since she died through such a cruel fashion, stabbed by Sephiroth with this infamous Masamune. But no matter how cruel the ordeal, Aeris was finally given the chance to reunite with her true family and leave the corrupted Planet.
I was already at the top of the stairs when someone bumped hard into me. Due to the impact, she fell flat on her buttocks and I could hear her moan with pain. "Whoa! Careful there, miss. Are you alright?" I held out my hand to help her up. Then I heard her sobbing quietly. She must have fallen really hard! I started to panic and looked around to see if someone had seen us. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't see you when I was coming up the stairs and then you-" I didn't get to finish my sentence when she looked up at me. Those beautiful green eyes, that long, honey brown hair, and that tear stained face. I knew I've seen it before. I could literally listen to the wild thumping of my heart pounding in my ears. Aeris! It's Aeris! "Aeris...? Is that you?" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice. I just had to know.
She blinked a few times before looking at me, studying my face. Inside, I was begging her to recognize me. After a few agonizing seconds that seemed like minutes, she gasped. "Zack...?!"
*****
"Yes! She remembered me!" Zack thought. He nodded and gave Aeris a big smile. She rushed forward and held him in a fierce hug that knocked the wind out of him. "Hey, take it easy, Aeris. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Suddenly, she let go and shoved me hard to the floor. "Oof! What was that for?" Zack asked, surprised at her sudden behavior.
"Zack...you're...you're dead!" Her hands flew to cover her mouth. Why didn't she feel him returning to the Planet? She felt Elmyra's husband's soul return to the Planet. But why not Zack? She should have felt him. Maybe her ability was clouded by her pain and anger that she could not communicate with the Planet then? Aeris was confused. She looked at Zack, who slowly got up and rubbed his buttocks.
"Umm...yeah. I wouldn't be if I was here, would I?" he grinned.
"But h-how? When?" she stammered, still shocked to see him.
"I was shot, Aeris, by Shin-Ra troops. We were just outside of Midgar when it happened. I think it was five years after I left for that mission in Nibelheim." He moved closer to Aeris.
Aeris' eyes were wide with disbelief. He was shot? And no one knew what happened. Not even his parents She was so sure that he left her for another girl. "Wait...you said 'we' just now. You were not alone?"
"No. Cloud and I-"
"Cloud? As in Cloud Strife?" Things were getting more confusing. Cloud knew Zack? He didn't say anything when they were in Gongaga during the search for Sephiroth. Why would he do that? Aeris decided that she had to ask Zack the whole story.
"Yeah. You knew him? You mean he's not dead?" Aeris shook her head. Now Zack was confused. What the hell was going on?
"I think you should tell me what happened in that five years, Zack. And I'll tell you how I knew Cloud. Let's go outside so we can talk." He nodded in agreement and walked downstairs with her. They went outside and around the tower and sat down, leaning against the wall. Zack was looking at the lake, thinking how he should start his story. Aeris, on the other hand, studied his profile while he was deep in thought. "I forgot how handsome he is," she thought. "He's more handsome than the last time I saw him." Aeris thought of their last date together and felt warm all over. "Stop it, Aeris! That was in the past." She scolded herself.
"Aeris? Are you alright?" Zack saw Aeris staring at him and waved a hand in front of her.
"Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm ok. Umm...so, why don't you start from the beginning? Then I'll tell you my part of the story." Zack nodded and turned to face her.
"As you knew, I went on a mission to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and Cloud and some other troops. There seemed to be a problem with the reactor at Mt. Nibel and rumors about monsters roaming around. All we had to do was fix the cause of the problem and eliminate the monsters and then be on our way. But when we got to the reactor, Sephiroth started acting really weird. We saw mutated humans in these pods in the reactor. It seemed like they were exposed to a very high dose of Mako. Sephiroth suddenly realized that he was different than the rest of us because he was so strong even though he was Mako induced. He left and locked himself up in the Shin-Ra mansion's basement for days, reading Professor Gast's experiment reports." He stopped to catch his breath and cleared his throat.
So far his story is similar to the one that Cloud told us when we were in Kalm. She put her hand on Zack's arm, urging him to continue.
"After a few days, I got restless and went down to look for him in the basement. He was sitting in the study; his eyes had this maniacal look that just gave me the chills. He accused me of being a traitor to his ancestors and him. He claimed that he was an Ancient and that he was the rightful heir to the Planet. Then he left. When I followed him outside, the whole town was on fire. It was horrible, Aeris. He was killing everyone in sight without mercy. Then he went to the reactor to get his "mother" or Jenova. I tell you, he was absolutely mad. He even killed our tour guide, Tifa, and her father. I tried to stop him from going too far, but he was just too strong for me. I was in bad shape after he attacked me when I saw Cloud came in. I told him to stop Sephiroth. The last thing I remember was that he took my sword to stop Sephiroth." Zack stopped again and let out a heavy sigh. He looked up at the sky and continued. "When I woke up, I was inside this huge jar filled with green liquid with wires jutting out everywhere. When I looked around, I realized that I was back in the basement of the mansion. I even saw Cloud in a similar jar next to me. And man, he looked terrible. I didn't even know when or how we got there. I saw a skinny man in a lab coat and glasses and figured that he must be some kind of scientist. He was another crazy man, always cackling about his experiments with me and Cloud as his specimens."
"Hojo..." Aeris suddenly whispered.
Zack glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, Hojo. I heard him saying that Sephiroth was dead and thought that Cloud must have killed him. Hojo was always injecting us with Jenova cells, calling us Sephiroth's clones or something like that. Cloud got weaker after every injection; I guess his body couldn't tolerate the alien cells invading his body. I thought he was going to die sooner or later, so I planned a way of escaping. I didn't even know how long we were trapped there. It felt like forever, Aeris. I just had to get out of there, save myself and Cloud. Finally, one day we escaped and got a ride from this trucker who was heading for Midgar. I just couldn't wait to see you then, Aeris. Cloud and I talked about being mercenaries to make money and survive. Well, I did most of the talking since Cloud was still very weak." Zack smiled sheepishly at the memory. "He was practically a vegetable. I had to carry him around. The trucker dropped us off just outside of Midgar. We were just about to go in when we were caught by Shin-Ra troops. I tried to save Cloud, but I was shot before I could do anything." He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them. "And that's that."
Aeris looked at him sadly and put her hand on his shoulder for support. "I'm so sorry, Zack. I didn't know what happened. Cloud only told us until the part where he confronted Sephiroth at the reactor. And he never mentioned you at all. He never told us about Hojo's experiments either." Aeris sighed lightly and stared at the lake in front of them. She then continued telling him about how she met Cloud and the rest of Avalanche, their adventures together, and how she died. Zack listened quietly, smiling and frowning a few times at the funny and sad parts. "I guess I would have had the chance to learn more about what was wrong with Cloud if I was still alive. I miss them, Zack. And I...I missed you. I waited and waited for the day you'd come back, but after five years, I got tired of waiting and just gave up hope. I really thought you forgot about me and found someone else. I was really hurt and angry with you, Zack. And heartbroken." She smiled ruefully at the last part of the sentence. "But when we were in Gongaga, we met your parents and that's when I learned that you've been missing. They even asked me whether I was your girlfriend. I didn't know what to tell them." She looked away, avoiding his gaze.
"She thought I found someone else? Didn't she know that she was the only one for me?" Zack thought. "Well, maybe you didn't tell her that, idiot." He continued, scolding himself. Then he continued out loud. "Aeris, I have never thought of leaving you at all. Not once. I kept seeing that lovely smile you gave me when I left Midgar the night of our last date. It was your smile I last saw before I died. Believe me when I say there was no one else." His gaze was steady, but pleading as well. Aeris returned the gaze, contemplating whether to believe him or not. When all she saw was sincerity, she smiled and touched his hand. "I believe you, Zack."
Zack squeezed her hand that was on his and pulled her closer. He slowly reached his hand out to cup the side of her face. "You're so beautiful, Aeris. Even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. God, I missed you so much. It never occurred to me that the only way for us to meet again was when we're both dead." He joked lightly. Aeris only smiled. He then traced her lower lip with his thumb, mesmerized by the softness. He thought about their last date and the make out session in her garden. "We were so young then. I even forgot what it felt like to kiss her," he thought. With his thumb still tracing her full lips, he looked into her eyes. He wanted to do something he hadn't done in a long, long time. "Aeris, can I...can I kiss you?" His voice was husky. Aeris blushed. She was thinking the same thing. "Should I let him? It's just one harmless kiss...right?" She then nodded. Zack moved closer and pressed his lips to hers. Aeris closed her eyes and sighed lightly, enjoying the gentle pressure of his lips on hers. Hearing her sigh, Zack tilted his head and put his hand behind her head to deepen the kiss. Feeling bold, Aeris parted her lips and slipped her tongue out and grazed his lower lip with it. Soon their tongues met each other and explored each other's mouth. It was as though they were reliving their last kisses in her garden five years ago, but with heightened passion and longing.
Aeris moaned at the pleasure Zack's kisses made her feel. She felt 17 again. Her heartbeat got faster and she felt a warm rush go through her body. It was never like this when Cloud kissed her. Cloud? She widened her eyes and pulled away abruptly. "Oh my God. What have I done? I'm in love with Cloud, not Zack...aren't I?" She was confused all over again.
"Aeris? What is it? Is everything alright?" Zack looked at her with concern. But there was a hint of confusion in his eyes as well.
"I...I...I'm sorry, Zack. We shouldn't have done that. I mean, I liked it, but..." She trailed off.
"What? What is it?"
"I...I..." Guilt was what she felt. She felt like she had betrayed Cloud. But she wasn't even sure if Cloud still felt the same way about her. And she'll never know now that she's dead. She wasn't certain of her own feelings either. She waited for Zack for five whole years, waited to rekindle their relationship, but now that he's here she's not sure what to feel anymore. Suddenly she felt like running away from him, wanting to avoid all the confusion in her head. She got up quickly and turned to leave. "I'm sorry, Zack. I have to go." With that, she ran towards the main gates of the Promised Land, and out to the meadows.
"Aeris, wait!" Zack called out. He got up and ran after her.
End of Chapter 4
A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction
Disclaimer: Characters and other names from Final Fantasy VII all belong to Squaresoft and whoever else whom owns them. I'm merely borrowing them for this story. No infringement intended, so please don't sue me!
Chapter 4: The Lost Love
I never thought I'd die young. As stereotypical as it may sound, I've always dreamed of getting married to the most beautiful woman on the Planet, have kids, grow old, and die a happy man. But I guess fate had other plans for me. Ever since I could remember, proving myself by being in SOLDIER was my ultimate dream. I was so proud when I was ranked First Class. And to have had the honor of fighting alongside Sephiroth made the dream even sweeter. But when I made my promise to her, I realized that being a First Class SOLDIER was just a temporary dream. What I truly wanted was to share my life with her, the woman that I love, and never look back. During the ride to Nibelheim for that mission where Sephiroth completely lost his insanity, I reckoned that I could finally fulfill my promise that I would come back to her when everything was over. We would finally be happy together for the rest of our lives. Boy, I thought wrong.
*FLASHBACK*
The air in Midgar was warm that night. We had dinner at one of the restaurants in Wall Street and then went around town, just spending quality time with each other. She saw this pink spaghetti strapped dress and a small red jacket at one of the shops. I gave a low whistle when she came out of the dressing room to give me a firsthand view of the new outfit. I couldn't help but admire the way the dress accentuated her curves in all the right places. So I bought both the dress and jacket, much to her protest. After that, we headed to the playground just outside of Sector 5 and sat down at the top of the slide. Since there were no stars to count, we just sat back and talked about nothing and everything that came to mind. Though, we avoided talking about my leaving next day. It was for the Nibelheim mission, so I wanted to make the most of our last date and not dampen the mood. I felt that I would never get to see her in a long while and by the sad look on her face; I think she knew it too.
We held hands on the way home. When we reached her doorstep, I leaned in to kiss her goodnight, but she turned away and held the bag of new dress and jacket close to her chest. I could see her shoulders shook a little, indicating that she was crying. From behind, I put my hands on her shoulders and slide them up and down her arms, trying to sooth her. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. "Did I do something? Is it the new dress?" I knew I was babbling, but I was getting nervous. Aeris seldom cried. She was always so happy whenever we meet. Come to think of it, she was kind of quiet throughout dinner tonight. She wasn't as cheerful as she usually was. Was it because I was leaving for Nibelheim and would not be seeing her for a few months? I didn't think we were that serious. I mean, we've been dating for a few months now, but we're still teenagers. There're so many things in life I want to experience. Being a SOLDIER is part of that experience. I want to be able to travel all over the world too. I've heard of wonderful places besides Midgar and Junon. I wanted to see them all.
But now when I looked at Aeris, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. We may have been teenagers, but I knew that I wanted to experience life with her. I wanted to bring her to the places I've only heard of from other people. I wanted to whisk her away from Midgar, the only place that she's ever known to exist. Looking at the tears staining her cheeks made me cry myself. I suddenly realized that I didn't want to leave her. I didn't want to leave for the mission to Nibelheim. Will I ever see her again? Sephiroth said that the mission was quite dangerous. But this was my first mission since I was promoted to First Class. I couldn't pass down this opportunity. It's important that I go.
"Zack, promise me you'll come back for me." Aeris held on to one of my hands that were on her shoulders. "Please, promise me."
I gently turned her around stared into her green eyes. They were brimming with tears, threatening to spill over and stain her soft cheeks. The sight was just heartbreaking. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.
"Please, Zack."
"Aeris, why are you like this all of a sudden? Come on, I'll be back as soon as it's over." I tried to act nonchalant even though her anxiety was affecting me.
"Zack, please! Promise me. I've never asked anything from you, but now I'm asking you to promise me this." She held on to my hand tighter and her eyes were pleading me for an answer.
She had a disturbed look on her face, as though she knew something dark but was afraid to tell me. I pulled her close for a tight hug. Then I relented and sighed. "I promise. I promise I'll come back to you when the mission's over. Don't worry, Aeris. I'll come back and we'll leave Midgar and explore the world together, you and I, alright?" I rested my cheek on the crown of her head and felt her nod against my chest. Finally she relaxed and released herself from our embrace. It was getting late, but we weren't ready to say our goodbyes just yet. We made out in her garden like there was no tomorrow. If people were to see us, we would look like a pair of horny teenagers. It's not like I've never thought about taking our relationship to the next level, but Aeris was a special girl. With her, I didn't feel like rushing into anything only regret it later. She's so innocent and pure that I didn't want to taint that just to satisfy my sexual hunger. When we do get to the next level, I wanted it to be meaningful. Though it seemed that night could be the special night, it wasn't to me or to her. We were content just making out until our lips were swollen and our tongues got tired of dueling with each other.
Before I left, I turned around to look at her one last time. She blew me a kiss and gave me a sad but lovely smile. A smile that was forever in my mind, like a bright torch, burning incessantly. That was the smile that helped me through the pain of having Sephiroth's sword stabbing my body. That was the smile that helped me endure Hojo's evil and torturous experiments in the Shin-Ra basement. That was the smile that pushed me to escape that forsaken mansion and head to Midgar with Cloud. And that was the smile I last saw when the bullets that ended my life went through me.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Now I'm in the Promised Land, making my usual visits to the Crystal Oracle. I was itching to go to Aeris' house and see her, but thought that maybe she would want to spend quality time with her family. When I heard that she was the newcomer, I couldn't believe my ears and had to confirm it with her mother, Ifalna. Why must the good ones die young? Especially Aeris, since she died through such a cruel fashion, stabbed by Sephiroth with this infamous Masamune. But no matter how cruel the ordeal, Aeris was finally given the chance to reunite with her true family and leave the corrupted Planet.
I was already at the top of the stairs when someone bumped hard into me. Due to the impact, she fell flat on her buttocks and I could hear her moan with pain. "Whoa! Careful there, miss. Are you alright?" I held out my hand to help her up. Then I heard her sobbing quietly. She must have fallen really hard! I started to panic and looked around to see if someone had seen us. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't see you when I was coming up the stairs and then you-" I didn't get to finish my sentence when she looked up at me. Those beautiful green eyes, that long, honey brown hair, and that tear stained face. I knew I've seen it before. I could literally listen to the wild thumping of my heart pounding in my ears. Aeris! It's Aeris! "Aeris...? Is that you?" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice. I just had to know.
She blinked a few times before looking at me, studying my face. Inside, I was begging her to recognize me. After a few agonizing seconds that seemed like minutes, she gasped. "Zack...?!"
*****
"Yes! She remembered me!" Zack thought. He nodded and gave Aeris a big smile. She rushed forward and held him in a fierce hug that knocked the wind out of him. "Hey, take it easy, Aeris. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Suddenly, she let go and shoved me hard to the floor. "Oof! What was that for?" Zack asked, surprised at her sudden behavior.
"Zack...you're...you're dead!" Her hands flew to cover her mouth. Why didn't she feel him returning to the Planet? She felt Elmyra's husband's soul return to the Planet. But why not Zack? She should have felt him. Maybe her ability was clouded by her pain and anger that she could not communicate with the Planet then? Aeris was confused. She looked at Zack, who slowly got up and rubbed his buttocks.
"Umm...yeah. I wouldn't be if I was here, would I?" he grinned.
"But h-how? When?" she stammered, still shocked to see him.
"I was shot, Aeris, by Shin-Ra troops. We were just outside of Midgar when it happened. I think it was five years after I left for that mission in Nibelheim." He moved closer to Aeris.
Aeris' eyes were wide with disbelief. He was shot? And no one knew what happened. Not even his parents She was so sure that he left her for another girl. "Wait...you said 'we' just now. You were not alone?"
"No. Cloud and I-"
"Cloud? As in Cloud Strife?" Things were getting more confusing. Cloud knew Zack? He didn't say anything when they were in Gongaga during the search for Sephiroth. Why would he do that? Aeris decided that she had to ask Zack the whole story.
"Yeah. You knew him? You mean he's not dead?" Aeris shook her head. Now Zack was confused. What the hell was going on?
"I think you should tell me what happened in that five years, Zack. And I'll tell you how I knew Cloud. Let's go outside so we can talk." He nodded in agreement and walked downstairs with her. They went outside and around the tower and sat down, leaning against the wall. Zack was looking at the lake, thinking how he should start his story. Aeris, on the other hand, studied his profile while he was deep in thought. "I forgot how handsome he is," she thought. "He's more handsome than the last time I saw him." Aeris thought of their last date together and felt warm all over. "Stop it, Aeris! That was in the past." She scolded herself.
"Aeris? Are you alright?" Zack saw Aeris staring at him and waved a hand in front of her.
"Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm ok. Umm...so, why don't you start from the beginning? Then I'll tell you my part of the story." Zack nodded and turned to face her.
"As you knew, I went on a mission to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and Cloud and some other troops. There seemed to be a problem with the reactor at Mt. Nibel and rumors about monsters roaming around. All we had to do was fix the cause of the problem and eliminate the monsters and then be on our way. But when we got to the reactor, Sephiroth started acting really weird. We saw mutated humans in these pods in the reactor. It seemed like they were exposed to a very high dose of Mako. Sephiroth suddenly realized that he was different than the rest of us because he was so strong even though he was Mako induced. He left and locked himself up in the Shin-Ra mansion's basement for days, reading Professor Gast's experiment reports." He stopped to catch his breath and cleared his throat.
So far his story is similar to the one that Cloud told us when we were in Kalm. She put her hand on Zack's arm, urging him to continue.
"After a few days, I got restless and went down to look for him in the basement. He was sitting in the study; his eyes had this maniacal look that just gave me the chills. He accused me of being a traitor to his ancestors and him. He claimed that he was an Ancient and that he was the rightful heir to the Planet. Then he left. When I followed him outside, the whole town was on fire. It was horrible, Aeris. He was killing everyone in sight without mercy. Then he went to the reactor to get his "mother" or Jenova. I tell you, he was absolutely mad. He even killed our tour guide, Tifa, and her father. I tried to stop him from going too far, but he was just too strong for me. I was in bad shape after he attacked me when I saw Cloud came in. I told him to stop Sephiroth. The last thing I remember was that he took my sword to stop Sephiroth." Zack stopped again and let out a heavy sigh. He looked up at the sky and continued. "When I woke up, I was inside this huge jar filled with green liquid with wires jutting out everywhere. When I looked around, I realized that I was back in the basement of the mansion. I even saw Cloud in a similar jar next to me. And man, he looked terrible. I didn't even know when or how we got there. I saw a skinny man in a lab coat and glasses and figured that he must be some kind of scientist. He was another crazy man, always cackling about his experiments with me and Cloud as his specimens."
"Hojo..." Aeris suddenly whispered.
Zack glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, Hojo. I heard him saying that Sephiroth was dead and thought that Cloud must have killed him. Hojo was always injecting us with Jenova cells, calling us Sephiroth's clones or something like that. Cloud got weaker after every injection; I guess his body couldn't tolerate the alien cells invading his body. I thought he was going to die sooner or later, so I planned a way of escaping. I didn't even know how long we were trapped there. It felt like forever, Aeris. I just had to get out of there, save myself and Cloud. Finally, one day we escaped and got a ride from this trucker who was heading for Midgar. I just couldn't wait to see you then, Aeris. Cloud and I talked about being mercenaries to make money and survive. Well, I did most of the talking since Cloud was still very weak." Zack smiled sheepishly at the memory. "He was practically a vegetable. I had to carry him around. The trucker dropped us off just outside of Midgar. We were just about to go in when we were caught by Shin-Ra troops. I tried to save Cloud, but I was shot before I could do anything." He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them. "And that's that."
Aeris looked at him sadly and put her hand on his shoulder for support. "I'm so sorry, Zack. I didn't know what happened. Cloud only told us until the part where he confronted Sephiroth at the reactor. And he never mentioned you at all. He never told us about Hojo's experiments either." Aeris sighed lightly and stared at the lake in front of them. She then continued telling him about how she met Cloud and the rest of Avalanche, their adventures together, and how she died. Zack listened quietly, smiling and frowning a few times at the funny and sad parts. "I guess I would have had the chance to learn more about what was wrong with Cloud if I was still alive. I miss them, Zack. And I...I missed you. I waited and waited for the day you'd come back, but after five years, I got tired of waiting and just gave up hope. I really thought you forgot about me and found someone else. I was really hurt and angry with you, Zack. And heartbroken." She smiled ruefully at the last part of the sentence. "But when we were in Gongaga, we met your parents and that's when I learned that you've been missing. They even asked me whether I was your girlfriend. I didn't know what to tell them." She looked away, avoiding his gaze.
"She thought I found someone else? Didn't she know that she was the only one for me?" Zack thought. "Well, maybe you didn't tell her that, idiot." He continued, scolding himself. Then he continued out loud. "Aeris, I have never thought of leaving you at all. Not once. I kept seeing that lovely smile you gave me when I left Midgar the night of our last date. It was your smile I last saw before I died. Believe me when I say there was no one else." His gaze was steady, but pleading as well. Aeris returned the gaze, contemplating whether to believe him or not. When all she saw was sincerity, she smiled and touched his hand. "I believe you, Zack."
Zack squeezed her hand that was on his and pulled her closer. He slowly reached his hand out to cup the side of her face. "You're so beautiful, Aeris. Even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. God, I missed you so much. It never occurred to me that the only way for us to meet again was when we're both dead." He joked lightly. Aeris only smiled. He then traced her lower lip with his thumb, mesmerized by the softness. He thought about their last date and the make out session in her garden. "We were so young then. I even forgot what it felt like to kiss her," he thought. With his thumb still tracing her full lips, he looked into her eyes. He wanted to do something he hadn't done in a long, long time. "Aeris, can I...can I kiss you?" His voice was husky. Aeris blushed. She was thinking the same thing. "Should I let him? It's just one harmless kiss...right?" She then nodded. Zack moved closer and pressed his lips to hers. Aeris closed her eyes and sighed lightly, enjoying the gentle pressure of his lips on hers. Hearing her sigh, Zack tilted his head and put his hand behind her head to deepen the kiss. Feeling bold, Aeris parted her lips and slipped her tongue out and grazed his lower lip with it. Soon their tongues met each other and explored each other's mouth. It was as though they were reliving their last kisses in her garden five years ago, but with heightened passion and longing.
Aeris moaned at the pleasure Zack's kisses made her feel. She felt 17 again. Her heartbeat got faster and she felt a warm rush go through her body. It was never like this when Cloud kissed her. Cloud? She widened her eyes and pulled away abruptly. "Oh my God. What have I done? I'm in love with Cloud, not Zack...aren't I?" She was confused all over again.
"Aeris? What is it? Is everything alright?" Zack looked at her with concern. But there was a hint of confusion in his eyes as well.
"I...I...I'm sorry, Zack. We shouldn't have done that. I mean, I liked it, but..." She trailed off.
"What? What is it?"
"I...I..." Guilt was what she felt. She felt like she had betrayed Cloud. But she wasn't even sure if Cloud still felt the same way about her. And she'll never know now that she's dead. She wasn't certain of her own feelings either. She waited for Zack for five whole years, waited to rekindle their relationship, but now that he's here she's not sure what to feel anymore. Suddenly she felt like running away from him, wanting to avoid all the confusion in her head. She got up quickly and turned to leave. "I'm sorry, Zack. I have to go." With that, she ran towards the main gates of the Promised Land, and out to the meadows.
"Aeris, wait!" Zack called out. He got up and ran after her.
End of Chapter 4