Zack wasn't one hundred percent sure what time it was when he was finally woken up. But he sure was woken up. "Wake up sleeping beauty!" Someone said loudly in his ear before jerking at the covers he had wrapped himself up in enough to unravel it, leaving the tan skinned man sprawled out on the bed. Zack groaned as his eyes opened slightly, it was too bright. He could hear Aerith laughing. He managed to push himself into a sitting position and stretched, he heard his spine and shoulders crack. He moved his head around to get his neck to crack before finally looking up at the brunette standing beside his bed.
"Was there any reason in particular you had to do that?" he asked, his voice sounded groggy as a result of the fact that he did NOT want to be up right now.
"Well…since you liked my mom's cooking so much I thought you'd want to come downstairs and have breakfast." Aerith said rocking back and forth on her heels, her hands behind her back. "She made it especially for you." She added as another thought.
"Well I guess I can't refuse it then can I." He said turning to sit with his legs off the side of the bed. He looked at Aerith as she started to leave "What time is it anyway?" he asked rubbing his eyes with his arm.
"7:30 in the morning." She said looking at the clock on the other side of the room that Zack had completely forgotten existed.
"WHAT! I haven't woken up this early in years." He said with a loud sigh falling back onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.
"But you were in SOLDIER." Aerith said with a questioning look.
"Yeah, but I was first class, I got privileges, like not being woken up early in the morning." Zack said sitting back up and running a hand through his messy bed head. "I usually got up around nine or ten." He explained. Aerith let out a laugh.
"Well you aren't in the city anymore, you're going to have to get used to waking up earlier." With that said, in a tone of finality she left the room, practically skipping. Zack stood up and followed her out of the room and down the stairs. Rubbing his arm and trying to keep himself from passing out and falling down the stairs.
When he was in the dining room, he had to blink a couple times to make sure he was actually seeing properly. He was; and what he was seeing was a mountain of food. Bacon, sausages, eggs, toast even a tower of pancakes in the center of the table. He sat down in front of a plate and looked up into the kitchen. He saw Elmyra smirking at him. "Thank you." He said. He looked down at the food again, picking up his utensils, "There sure is a lot of meat."
"It's my mom's new SOLDIER breakfast." Aerith said sitting down next to Zack and smiling sweetly.
"They never gave us anything this good in SOLDIER." Zack said taking a forkful of food into his mouth. It was as delicious as it looked if not better. Aerith let out a short laugh. Elmyra smiled happily before she came into the dining room and sat down across from Zack. This was a bit strange because now Zack felt her looking him up and down, her gaze pausing on his bare chest and abs. It really creeped him out, but he continued to eat anyways. He finished within the next fifteen minutes, pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair letting out a loud satisfied sigh. Aerith who had been sitting next to him stood up and took his plate away. When she came back in she smiled down at him.
"Do you want to deliver flowers with me again today?" she asked sitting back down next to Zack.
"Sure…but isn't it still too early?" He said resting his hands on his stomach and tilting his head in Aerith's direction.
"I meant after you get ready and everything." She said with a laugh shaking her head slightly.
"Oh, of course. Do you mind if I have a shower?" he asked sitting up again.
"No I don't mind." Aerith replied shaking her head, her long brown hair twirling as it was still not tied up.
"Thanks." Zack stood up and headed down the hall Aerith had gotten up and started towards the kitchen where her mom was cleaning plates. Zack paused behind a wall as their conversation peaked his curiosity.
"Aerith, I'm very proud of you…he's a great catch." Elmyra said with a chuckle. Zack swallowed hard and his eyes opened wide.
"It's not like that mom!" Aerith said. Zack could practically see the blush crossing her face and it was kind of creepy. Zack had had the feeling that things were going to be seen this way in the long run and he had REALLY wished they wouldn't. He did not like Aerith that way.
"You shouldn't say that, you should go for him. He's young, strong and SOLDIER." Elmyra said.
"But I want him to be my friend. I don't want to make things weird by going out with him or anything." Aerith replied. They seemed completely unaware that Zack was standing right around the corner listening to their conversation.
"But you like him?" Elmyra asked. Zack held his breath.
"Well…maybe a little. But I barely know him and he barely knows me, we haven't seen each other in eleven years mom." Aerith said, she sounded nervous. And Zack felt like hitting his head off of the wall next to him, he did not want Aerith to like him because he couldn't return her feelings. As he had learned during the past eleven years, he was not attracted to girls. His heart could only be captured by guys.
"It's still worth a shot honey. Don't let this opportunity pass you by." Elmyra replied and that seemed like the end of their conversation so Zack tore down the hall to the stairs making as little noise as possible. He wrenched the bathroom door closed and waited for a moment. He leaned against the counter and looked at himself in the mirror. He ran a hand through his very messy dark hair and let out a long sigh. He didn't want the two girls to end up being suspicious though as to what was taking him so long so he turned on the shower. He pulled off his pants and looked down at his body, scrutinizing himself. Was he really that good looking? He would have to assume so.
In the shower he had some time to think about what the hell he was going to do if Aerith did decide to ask him out or something. All he knew was that he would have to find the kindest way possible to turn her down. He didn't want to lead her down a path that only came to a dead end. He sniffed the shampoo and frowned slightly, it was a bit girly for his taste but it was either have clean hair or have greasy hair and hair mattered a lot to Zack so he decided he didn't care if it smelt like strawberries. He put the stuff in his hair and cleaned himself up a little more. He knew he shouldn't be wasting their water but a bunch of thoughts were all running through his head and the shower was just a peaceful place where all those thoughts could muck around for hours and actually be thought out. After a few minutes, though he would've stayed in for longer, he managed to get himself out of the shower. He looked around before grabbing a towel and running it through his hair. He wrapped the towel around his waist holding it in place for safety reasons as he walked out of the room and down to the one he was staying in.
He hadn't really had to worry it wasn't like anyone was going to be in there. He dropped the towel when he closed the door and quickly got himself dressed. He grabbed his bottle of hairspray and walked back towards the bathroom his hair wasn't always just so perfectly styled. On his way though he pumped into Aerith who smiled up at him, "You almost ready Zack?" She asked him.
"Yeah, almost I just have to do my hair...it might take me about twenty minutes." He said with a smirk. Aerith started to laugh at him again and he frowned, "What is it this time?" He asked.
"It's nothing. You just go do your hair I'll be downstairs." She said still laughing as she walked down the hall to the stairs. Zack just looked at her his mouth open and closed his mouth a couple times before shaking his head and letting out a long exasperated sigh and walking into the bathroom. He had to search for the hairdryer but found it quickly and without running into anything he wouldn't really want to find. He took his time drying his hair before he finally started to style it. The styling process had at one point took him near an hour but he could now do it in about ten minutes. It was a skill he was proud of. When he was done he stretched and walked back down to the room he was given to stay in. He put his hair spray away and headed downstairs to go find Aerith.
"Hey Aerith." He said as he found her sitting practically curled up on the couch watching TV. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Are you ready to go now Zack?" She asked he could still sense the rather mocking tone behind her words but it was playful so Zack didn't take it offensively like he could have.
The two of them headed out of the house and Aerith went into her garage and got out her wagon which she must have restocked with flowers while Zack was in the shower or something. He smiled down at it and walked to the end of the driveway Aerith followed him happily. She always seemed like such a cheery person, he wondered how her life had been when he had been gone for all those years but decided she could tell him if she wanted though he would only say anything if she really wanted to know.
They started down the road towards where they had sold flowers the other day passing by Zack's old house again he smiled as he turned to Aerith, "Hey...you're going to have to supply me with some gorgeous flowers when I buy that house back." He stated happily. She looked up at him and nodded happily before practically skipping off. Zack laughed as he followed her.
This day went about the same as the day before. They got to where they sold the flowers and a lot of young children or couples came up and bought flowers, usually for loved ones. It was actually rather nice and it was an easy way for Zack to introduce himself either to new people or to people he had at one point known. No one that he was especially close to ever came up though. Even though this seemed like the kind of thing someone like Cissinei would enjoy. He would try and find her whenever it was possible, he did miss her.
They sold flowers for a few hours it really was a nice experience overall but it was surprisingly tiring. Zack stretched and yawned as they started heading back. He saw figures he thought were familiar out of the corner of his eye but paid no attention to them as they spoke, "Aerith." They both said in unison, one of them had a rather high slightly nasally voice the other a smooth, deep voice.
"Reno. Rude." Aerith replied nodding to each one in turn. Zack blinked a couple times as he continued to walk, then spun around with a huge smile on his face.
"Reno! Rude! What's up guys?" He called loudly running back up to them; now that he actually looked at them he could definitely see Reno and Rude in these figures. Reno had grown out his hair quite a bit and got tattoos under his eyes that kind of looked like red crescents. He was also very short even though he had been taller than Zack when they were younger because he was a bit more than a year older than him. Rude didn't look any different except he was a lot taller and his jaw bone was much more defined and he had gotten a lot of piercings. He wore sunglasses so his strikingly amber eyes were hidden but he knew they were still as serious as always. The two of them turned and looked at him with cocked eyebrows, both of them perfectly in-sync like they always had been. But suddenly Zack had the feeling that they didn't remember him either.
"And, just who might you be?" Reno asked in that rather high voice of his, Rude looked at Reno before looking at Zack and nodding slightly in agreement. That was exactly what Zack had been expecting. It still stung, even if he knew to expect it now. He almost flinched but managed to hold it from being visible.
"Reno, this is Zack. He lived here eleven years ago." Aerith said walking up beside Zack and smiling at the stubborn Turk. Reno looked at Aerith then back at Zack.
"Well...Aerith wouldn't just outright lie to me like that. But I don't remember you." Reno said shaking his head.
"No it's fine that you don't remember me." Zack said shaking his head a rather mellow look on his face, "At least I get to see you all again." He said with a smile. "How are the rest of the Turks. The new girl I heard about, Tseng, Cissinei..." he trailed off though as he finished her name as he noticed the sudden sour look on Reno's face and how Rude seemed to stiffen up as well...well more than usual. Zack had no idea whether he said something wrong or not, but he would have to assume that he did, "Uh..."
"Idiot," Reno huffed out practically glaring and turning slightly as though he was about to leave, his gaze didn't leave Zack as he looked over his shoulder, "Cissinei's been dead for five years. Come on Rude." Reno said turning and walking off down the street. Rude glared at Zack for a moment, only obvious because of how furrowed his brows were before he nodded and followed after Reno. Reno glanced over his shoulder for a second before sticking his thumb up in the air, "Good job Aerith, you hooked an inconsiderate asshole." He called. Zack was just shocked beyond belief.
"I'm sorry Zack...I didn't know." Aerith said grabbing a hold of his arm and shoulder in a rather comforting manner. It seemed as though she though Zack was angry as well as upset by what Reno had just said. Her attempt and comforting didn't help, Zack looked as though in a trance, he couldn't believe what he had just heard, all the muscles in his jaw, neck, back and arms were incredibly tight as Reno's words rang through his head.
"No I don't hate Reno. He was a friend of mine at one point. I'm not that kind of person. I just...wish I had known earlier." He said shaking his head slightly his voice quiet and sounding as though it might break at any moment. So far since he had come back only one good thing had happened to him and that was meeting Aerith, the only one who seemed to remember him. Though at the thought of good things that had happened images of Cloud flashed through his mind… How had that been good? Sure he had gotten to see him again but it wasn't like he remembered him or anything.
"Come on lets head back, Zack." Aerith said tugging at Zack's arm slightly. The black haired man nodded as he turned and followed his friend trying to get thoughts of all these troubles out of his mind and failing to succeed.
"Yeah...But I think I'm going to head back to the hotel, then...I think I'm going to go see what I can do about buying a house." Zack replied his voice quiet and rather slurred as he looked down at the ground and nowhere else all will to live was starting to drain away. This was something he didn't think he would ever have happen.
"Alright Zack...that's fine." Aerith replied nodding, feeling for him. The two started on their trek back to Aerith's house wordlessly.
"Why...did they remember Cissinei?" Zack asked shaking his head and running a hand through his spiky hair not understanding it at all. If they could remember her and she'd been gone for years why couldn't they remember him? Aerith was silent so he gathered that she didn't know either, which was in all honesty fine by him because he didn't know if he really wanted to know why they would remember her and not him.
When they got back and put the wagon away and headed upstairs to the room Zack had stayed in and Aerith helped him start putting his things away. "Zack..." Aerith started. Zack looked up at her as though to tell her to continue, "It's not like everyone remembers Cissinei. I didn't remember. It's just that they were so close to her...so it will take them longer to forget. In a couple years...I'm sure they won't remember her either." Zack was silent for a while after she finished talking and he just looked at the same thing for the next couple minutes as though trying to figure out what he was going to do with it.
"What about me...how long was I remembered...?" he asked after a while not looking up at Aerith as he asked. She was silent for a while as she really seemed to have to think about it.
"Certain people remembered longer...Angeal, Sephiroth and I...we must have remembered for three of four years at least...Genesis let go of the memories of you after about a year as did most of the other people in the city." She replied looking at him her eyes filled with her caring nature. She hated seeing Zack look so down even though Zack was pretty sure she didn't know all that much about him. Either that...or she just felt guilty.
"It only seems to be when people leave that they are forgotten..." Zack said shaking his head. Aerith nodded in agreement knowing what Zack was saying.
"Like Angeal and Cissinei..." she said for an example, though Zack hadn't known that Angeal was forgotten too. He sighed and shook his head.
"And me too." He added. Aerith looked down and away from him and they finished with the packing of the miniscule amount that Zack had brought with him. He slung the bag over his shoulder and the two of them headed down the stairs and outside. They both paused outside of Zack's car, this time there was no laughter about the size coming from Aerith.
"So...I'll come talk to you again when I get the stuff with the house done and I start to move in...alright?" Zack half asked half stated.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're going to need help with decorating and such." She said trying to brighten the mood a little, Zack smiled really happy with her attempt.
"More than you could imagine." He said with a short laugh, "Well I'll talk to you later then, alright?" Aerith waved to him and he nodded and opened the car door throwing his stuff into the passenger seat before sitting down and closing the door and turning the car on. He sighed as he looked over his shoulder and pulled out of the driveway. He looked back and saw Aerith smiling in his direction which made him feel at least a little bit better, though it would be hard for him to feel any worse right now.
The entire ride back to the hotel he willed himself not to break down, knowing full well that it was possible. He didn't want to be weak. Death was just something that happened, forgetting someone after eleven years happened as well. There was nothing wrong with the situation he was in. He was going to be able to move into his childhood home, he had at least one friend who he knew remembered him and would stay by his side, and he had a chance to start over with first impressions. This little self motivation helped him more than he thought it would and he managed to keep himself from breaking down at the wheel or even when he got back to his room. Though he couldn't help but still want everything to be the way they should, the way he had wanted it to be, with happy scenes of reuniting with old friends. But of course, luck wasn't on his side, and he wondered if it ever would be.
It was almost a week later when all the transactions were finally done and Zack yet again owned the house he had lived in when he was little. He couldn't help but smile as he walked through the threshold again but this time with it as his own house; everything was the same as he had left it for the most part when he had first walked back in. The living room was spacious and empty though and it was slightly bothersome. The wooden stairs still creaked when he stepped on certain spots and there were little scratch marks in them where they did creak so he could sneak downstairs in the middle of the night and steal snack from the kitchen. It brought back so many memories. The mood he had been in for the past week was suddenly so much better, even just getting to sit in his old room on the wooden floor was enough to boost his mood.
Today was the day he was going to go talk to Aerith and buy some furniture. He was glad he waited before going to talk to her again he didn't want to be a drag; he didn't want to put a damper on her happy mood. He walked over to her house, practically skipping with each step, and before he knew it he was stepping up to the front door of Aerith's house. He knocked on the door and waited a moment before Elmyra opened the door, "Oh hello Zack, I haven't seen you in a while." She said with a smile, Zack smiled right back at her glad he hadn't been forgotten yet again in that short period of time where he hadn't talked to anyone he had at one point known.
"Yeah, it's been a while, I was busy. Is Aerith home?" he asked, hoping that she wasn't out selling flowers like he knew there was a chance she was. Elmyra looked off in thought for a moment as though thinking the same thing Zack was before she nodded.
"Yes, I'll go get her, please come in." She responded with a smile beckoning Zack forward. Zack stepped into the cozy house and stood in the small area in the hallway, next to the two pairs of shoes at the front door. Elmyra went into the house and started calling for Aerith to come downstairs. Within a few seconds she was coming down the stairs. She rounded the corner and looked at Zack.
"Hey there Zack, it's been a while." She said happily, her long ponytail falling over her shoulder as she practically ran down the hallway towards him. When she stood a pace away from him, she stopped and rocked on her heel her hands behind her back.
"It's only been a week." Zack replied shrugging a small rather confused frown covered his face; it was as though these people didn't know much about the concept of time. It would explain why they tend to forget people so quickly. Though a week could be a long time he guessed, but it hadn't been back when he was younger and living in the city.
"Yeah, but that can be a long time of not talking to people." Aerith said shaking her head. Zack nodded, understanding where she was coming from but not liking the thought anyway.
"Well, I got my house back, so I was wondering if you'd like to go furniture shopping with me, I could use a woman's touch." He said leaning back on one of his legs and putting his hands behind his head and smiling his practically glowing white teeth almost unnatural looking against his tan skin. Aerith laughed moving her hands up to her face, laughing into one of them.
"That sounds like fun, of course I'll go with you." She said, "Mom! I'm going shopping with Zack, I'll be back later." She called over her shoulder before stepping into her shoes and heading out the door before Zack could say anything more. Zack laughed lightly before he followed her out of the house, she had bounced right on down to his car and was examining it again with a large smile. "Do we get to ride in the mini-mobile?" she asked looking at Zack with her head tilted to the side slightly.
"Yeah." He replied with a small smiling finding its way onto his face, which had been so solemn until he had met up with Aerith again. She seemed even more excited which made Zack laugh; he didn't really get what was so exciting about getting to drive around in a little car. He walked around to the passenger side and motioned for Aerith to follow. He opened the door and she sat down. He noticed her looking around at everything with a smile and a bright, bright gleam in her eyes.
"It smells like you." Was the first thing she ended up saying though, which he hadn't been expecting. He cocked an eyebrow in question and Aerith giggled slightly. "The smell of someone's car is often the smell of themselves and their houses from what I've noticed." She said with a shrug, "So this car carries your smell." She said motioning around the small car. Zack nodded, he had never noticed the smell of his car, but he guessed that would make sense if it was 'his smell' since he didn't ever notice what kind of scent he had lingering on himself.
"Alright then?" he said as Aerith laughed a little more. He closed the door of her side of the car and walked around it to the driver's side. Wrenching the door open he sat down next to Aerith letting out a sigh as he did up his seat belt before sticking the key in the ignition and turning on the rather small vehicle, it made very little sound as the engine came to life and if anything Aerith looked disappointed by the lack of a sound.
"Is that it?" she asked with a cocked brown eyebrow.
"What?" he asked tilting his head to the side, "What else is there supposed to be?"
"All the other cars around here start with more of a… 'roar' not…silent, like that." Aerith said shaking her head slightly and looking down at her hands in her lap. Zack shrugged and pulled out of the driveway. Looking over his shoulder as the car moved.
"Well…cars like this don't make that sort of noise." He said with a shrug as he started the small car down the road, very obviously out of town. Aerith looked out the window and cocked an eyebrow a small frown coming to her features.
"Where are we going?" she asked looking back at Zack her head tilted to the side slightly in her confusion.
"Next city over, this place doesn't have a decent furniture outlet." Zack said as though the reply was obvious, glancing at Aerith only for a moment as he sided to keep his eyes on the road. "Haven't you noticed that there really isn't much in this little place?" he asked.
"Well my mom and I have always managed to get by without having to leave the city." Aerith said with a shrug, this time Zack actually looked over at her and noticed her chewing at her bottom lip almost as though she was nervous. Zack was shocked as this all sank in.
"So you've honestly never left the city before?" he asked though he hadn't wanted to hide the shock from his voice he failed to succeed at that and he mentally kicked himself for it as Aerith looked down at her feet suddenly ashamed of herself as she shook her head. Zack sighed, he would have expected her to have left the city at least to the city over before, but apparently he thought wrong.
"I've never had to leave…I've never had to go to the hospital, we've never had to buy stuff that we couldn't get in town, I've never been invited to leave." She started to explain deciding Zack deserved an explanation. Zack nodded with a small sense of understanding.
"It's alright, I guess I understand. It just kind of shocked me that someone your age would have never left the city." Zack said shaking his head before looking out the front window again and keeping his eyes on the road. "Oh." He started as he remembered something getting Aerith's full attention at the sharply stated syllable, "Do you know anyone who would be able to help bring things back to town? Someone with a big truck." He asked. This of course earned him a laugh from Aerith which he had been expecting even as he formed the words in his head.
"Aside from Genesis?" she added for him, scoring a nod from the tan skinned man sitting next to her. "Well the only person that has a bigger truck then Gen is Cid. You can call him I guess, he's got a bit of a temper…but he really is a sweetie…just be sure to tell him that I told you to call." She explained. Zack cocked an eyebrow and looked at her out of the corner of his eye but he laughed.
"Well of course you would think he's a sweetie, no one can help but be sweet to someone who has such an uplifting personality." Zack said, Aerith practically started to glow at the compliment, though Zack didn't notice as he made sure they were still on the right road and he knew where they were going. "So I'll be sure to give this Cid guy a call after you help me buy some stuff." He said, mainly just to hear himself say it, try and get it in his head so he wouldn't forget.
The two of them fell silent and Zack continued for just focus on his driving and Aerith stared out the window like a child examining everything they passed with a very curious eye. Zack didn't notice her stop looking out the window, not until she spoke again.
"I have been out of the city before." She started. Zack looked at her for a moment with a cocked eyebrow urging her to continue talking, "I wasn't born in Nibelheim. I was born the city over, like most of the citizens who live there." She said as she thought, "But, I don't think that really counts, since I was too young to remember." She finished with a laugh. Zack nodded.
"Well, now that I think about it…I was born the city over too…We all were born over there. I remember Genesis making a big fuss over it one time. Something about how he should've been born somewhere more important…like…" he paused as tried to think of who it was that had been born somewhere a bit more fancy, the one Genesis had said, "Right, Rufus and Lazard." He finished with a nod smiling to himself. Aerith looked at him and blinked a couple times and he realized he had just remembered one of the smallest details in his life and she probably had no idea what he was talking about.
"How can you remember little things like that?" she asked tilting her head to the side a dumbfounded look on her face as she spoke, when she finished her mouth stayed a bit ajar.
"Well, to be honest. Holding on to memories like that was the only thing that kept me sane." He said with a shrug, and he could tell Aerith sensed a very deep tear jerker of a story behind that one statement. She wasn't far from the truth but it wasn't like it was that sad or anything. She made a small motion with her head when Zack didn't say anything as though to get him to elaborate on what had happened. "It's nothing…and I'd rather not talk about it now…maybe I'll tell you later." He said in reply to her look unable to help but give a small laugh.
"Alright Zack." She said before she went back to looking out the window, "So are we almost there?" she asked her voice excited though Zack noticed the small hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Yeah, probably about five more minutes. Nibelheim really is in an isolated place…" he said with a small sigh. Aerith nodded as though she had already known that, but really Zack would have been surprised if she hadn't known something like that.
"Well we're all used to it, and pretty much only it; in most cases. Like…I know I don't leave, Tifa doesn't leave, Cloud rarely leaves…Vincent doesn't leave…but he hasn't lived here nearly as long…but since he's been here he hasn't ever left." She explained with a shrug. This was the first time Zack had heard about a new member of the city from Aerith, so he couldn't help but put on a curious yet confused look at the mention of this Vincent. Aerith noticed and nodded, "Vincent Valentine. He's pretty anti social you probably won't talk to him much or at all." She said looking at her feet.
"But, I'm guessing he has a pretty interesting story though doesn't he?" Zack asked with a smile.
"What makes you say that?" Aerith asked with a small pout not understanding why Zack would think something like that.
"Well…he moved out here…probably from the city, he has to have a reason to move to The City that Forgets." Zack said with an almost mischievous look on his face. It made Aerith laugh.
"Well maybe, I rarely talk to him…but Zack, don't go pissing him off, if you do you just might piss off some other people. Vincent is…pretty important to some people. Like…Cid for example." She said with a shrug, she noticed the questioning look in Zack's eyes and answered his question quickly before he could voice it, "I don't know why. When they're anywhere near each other they are usually pissed off and tense but…if you make fun of Vincent or something around Cid he'd beat you up." She paused for a minute before quickly adding, "Just don't bring him up around Cid, for your own good, and don't tell him I told you anything. Like I said before he has a really bad temper." Zack blinked a couple times as she spoke, making sure he repeated her words a couple times in his head, to make sure he would remember. She really was stressing on Cid's bad temper and the last thing Zack wanted to do was piss someone off.
"Alright, in a small city like Nibelheim I'm sure I'll meet him eventually, but I took those words to heart, the last thing I want to do right now is go around pissing people off." Zack said taking one hand off the wheel and rubbing the back of his neck with a small almost nervous sounding laugh. "Anyone else I should be careful of?" he asked looking at Aerith for a moment more before putting both hands on the wheel and looking out at the street in front of him.
"No I don't think so. I mean…be careful around the girls who work at Barret's bar…but you already knew to watch out for Tifa, and she hasn't changed much since we were little, well personality wise at least. The other girl who works at Barret's bar is Rosso…and she's a bit of a temptress, so just…watch out around her." Aerith said looking at the roof of the car as she spoke, as she finished though she looked at Zack for a moment before following Zack's gaze and she went back to scanning the area like a child again.
"Alright." He said with a nod. He glanced up at Aerith before looking out the front again laughing lightly behind a large grin, "Hey, we're nearly there. The place I was going to is right around the corner." He said looking around. Aerith looked at him like a very excited child before looking around again as though trying to figure out exactly where they were and what exactly they were doing. Zack laughed a little bit more at the look she had, he had never seen a person her age acting like this and he couldn't help but find it rather amusing. "You really are excited aren't you?" Zack asked with a smirk. Aerith looked at him and the lightest of blush snuck onto her upper cheek.
"Well, is it that weird for me to be?" she asked obviously wondering whether or not she should be ashamed of herself. Zack laughed which made Aerith blush more.
"No it's perfectly fine, don't worry about it. It's like...when I came back here, I was just as excited as you are now." Zack said shaking his head and laughing even more. Aerith smiled and ran a hand through her brown hair.
"You were really excited to come back?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow her green eyes found Zack's blue. Zack sighed.
"Well yeah, I mean I was going to get the chance to see all my old friends, all the people I hadn't seen in years." He said shaking his head, "I mean wouldn't you love to get to see all these people after they had grown up, it's so much easier to compare everyone to what they looked like when they were younger." Aerith looked a little confused as though his words had thrown her into a world of thought. "You think that's stupid right?" he said shaking his head and laughing.
"No, no not at all. It makes sense. Now that I think about it I know what you mean." Aerith said shaking her head, getting a curious look from Zack. "Now that I think about every other memory I have of you...you have changed a lot, from the way you put your hair, to how dark your skin is, how defined your features are, and...You didn't have that scar before did you?" she ended with a question tilting her head to the side. Taking one hand off the wheel and running his hand over the pale pink 'X' shaped scar on his cheek.
"Yeah, that's right, I got this in a fight up in Modeoheim." he said with a nod bringing his hand back to the wheel. "It was nothing and even when I got it, it wasn't that bad of a wound." He said shaking his head and smiling.
"Wow, so you ran into a lot of trouble when you were in SOLDIER?" she asked fiddling with her hands in her lap and smiling lightly down at her hands. "So dangerous." she mumbled to herself. Zack laughed.
"No not really, aside from a strict boss and a few little wounds we were trained to withstand serious injuries so I didn't really have to worry about anything when it came down to it." Zack explained shrugging, obviously not finding any of this serious or actually trouble after being trained to think it wasn't. He realized that he was probably one of the only people who thought that really quickly. "Well uh, at least that's what I was trained to think. Don't worry about it, us SOLDIER are tough we can take a little beating now and then." He explained.
"I bet, you don't look like the kind of person who would be so violent, Zack. You look so much kinder, and you act a lot kinder too. Was it tough having to be violent and always killing things in SOLDIER?" Aerith asked tilting her head to the side and frowning. Zack found it pretty obvious right off the bat what her opinion on killing any living creature would be.
"Well I've never killed a person before," He lied hoping to not make Aerith worry as much as he possibly could, "Just monsters…and it's not difficult, actually it makes me feel a little better, like burning away stress. Sure it's violent but it's something I grew accustomed to. " He paused for a moment before laughing, "And that must sound like an absolutely horrible thing to say but it's true." He said shaking his head a rather solemn look in his eyes but not on the rest of his face,
"Well…A little bit. Would you feel guilty killing a person even with all your training?" she asked.
"Uh…" Zack could have answered her honestly with a solid 'no' but didn't want to make her think he was some sort of monster. He quickly found his source to escape from answering the question. He mentally sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of the furniture store. "Hey we're here, you ready?" he asked ignoring her question. She seemed only bothered by it for a short moment before she nodded and followed Zack's lead and got out of the car.
They spent the next couple hours wandering the store as Aerith picked out things she thought 'matched Zack'. Zack wasn't sure if he should be flattered or a bit insulted with some of her choices, and he had a feeling she was going just a bit over board. He tried to make sure she knew he only needed the basics right now that he could get more later but she didn't seem to be listening. Zack found it hilarious how someone could find something like this so amusing and fun. She looked like a kid in a candy store. In the end he had a bed, couch and dining set picked out. He didn't know why he needed the last one right now since he didn't have food or anything, which made him remember he would have to hit the grocery store before he went home. He pulled out his credit card for the lady at the cashier and he mentally said his goodbyes to his money as he handed it to her. Sure he had money and he wasn't going to run out any time soon but it was still a loss and one thing he didn't want to have to think about right now was finding a new job, he knew he would always be SOLDIER at heart.
"I'll go call Cid." Aerith said as Zack and a couple store employees started lugging stuff outside, Zack of course carrying the most. What else would he expect?
"Huh?" Zack replied cocking an eyebrow in confusion scoring a laugh from Aerith.
"That one that's going to help bring all this stuff back." She said slowly started to back towards the pay phone. Zack nodded as he remembered what she had said in the car on their way there and she turned around and headed towards the phone. Zack couldn't help but let out a sigh as he had the other men put down the stuff on the curb that he would wait until Cid got there and he could do the rest no problem. They left without question and Zack was left sitting on a box as he waited.
Aerith came and joined him after a few moments, "He's on his way. He says he's looking forward to meeting you." She said putting her hands in her lap and sighing.
"Is that a good thing or not?" Zack couldn't help but ask after all he had heard about Cid. Aerith just laughed and shook her head.
"No you don't have to worry about him. It's not like he bites or anything. I know with everything I've already said he must sound like a bad person. But he's not bad. Just make him laugh he's got a sense of humor and it's an easy way to get on his good side." Aerith explained pushing her bangs out of her face. Zack nodded in a sort of understanding, he guessed that made sense. If it didn't he was sure it would soon anyway.
It was quiet for a longer while until Aerith decided to bring up the same question she had asked in the car. "So Zack would you feel guilty if you took the life of a person, if you knew you had killed someone's son or daughter?" The way she put it made a pang surge through Zack's heart, he had never thought about it that way before and he didn't want to think about that. He had been trained to not think of these killings as a loss but as a gain for the greater good.
"Well...I don't know." He lied with a shrug. He didn't want to lie to Aerith but he had before and he had to lie now to make sure she continued to think that he was as kind as she thought he was.
"Okay." She nodded but her face was serious, "I don't think I could talk to you seriously if you had killed someone without mercy. Those kinds of people cannot be forgiven." She said looking from Zack to the ground which her feet hovered over.
"Right." Another pang smacked away at Zack's heart, so Aerith had remembered him and that was great, but now she thought that he was some kind of menace because he was paid to kill people. Well she didn't think that right now but she would when she knew that was the kind of things he had done. He would have to keep his mouth shut about it for as long as possible.
"Zack, what are the chances that you would have to kill someone when you were in SOLDIER?" Aerith asked, obviously so curious about anything that had to do with Zack's past and SOLDIER.
"Well pretty high. I'm sure in the end if I had stayed I would have had to kill a lot of people." He said with a shrug.
"And how would you feel about that?" she asked, she was really pressing this question and Zack was starting to find it a little awkward and harder to keep his real past to himself.
"Well I was trained to not feel anything about it...you know I can't let a death faze me, it wouldn't be good for work." Zack said with a shrug deciding to be frank with her. "But I am a softy like you said so I don't know if I would be able to do anything." he lied again, he didn't like lying but at the moment he guessed he was doing it for the better, it was better if she didn't know the truth. She seemed upset even by this answer which didn't vote well for Zack in the long run and he wondered how many more people in this calm little city would have the same mentality as Aerith had. Again his mind flicked back to images of the spiky haired blond and he shook his head letting out a small growl gaining a weird look from Aerith. But her gaze was quickly pulled away from Zack and onto the front of the parking lot and a smile appeared on her face again.
"Cid!" she called loudly jumping off of her little seat next to Zack and jumping up and down flailing her arms in the air above her head. Zack cocked an eyebrow but found the little scene amusing none the less. He laughed lightly as the large truck swung into the parking lot and honked loudly which made Aerith laugh and she sat back down as the car came up to stop in front of them and a short haired blond got out of the front. The colour shocked Zack for a second but it was much too dark to be Cloud's. Cid's hair wasn't dirty blond but it was a more yellow colour. Cid's appearance was to put it simply: gruff. He had a thin layer of blond facial hair around his face; he wore a big pair of goggles on his forehead a pack of cigarettes stuck in the side of it. Aside from that he wore gloves, a jacket, worn jeans and large boots. His dark blue eyes flicked from Aerith to Zack. He approached them and Zack jumped off his box.
"It's nice to meet you sir." Zack said sticking his hand out to offer a shake. Cid took his hand and shook it hard getting Zack's arm to move involuntarily which he knew not many people could do. He laughed lightly as he pulled his hand away and rubbed his arm.
"Nice ta' meetcha kid. Zack right?" Cid asked.
"Yeah." Zack said with a nod, "And your Cid right?" Zack decided to ask; maybe he could flatter the older man.
"You bet." Cid said jabbing his thumb into his chest. He seemed overly proud of himself, Zack just laughed, "So you're a little city guy who needs my truck. Let me guess you have a tiny little car that can't get anything done." He said with a hearty laugh. Zack scratched the back of his head and sighed but kept a smile on his face.
"It gets stuff done, I mean it gets me place to place." Zack pointed out. Cid didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Right, right whatever you say, now hurry up and lets get those arms of yours to use." Cid said patting Zack's shoulder roughly, "You are 'SOLDIER guy' aren't you?" Cid asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Aerith told you?" Zack asked.
Cid looked confused, "No, your belt." Cid said pointing at the regulation SOLDIER belt around Zack's waist. The black haired man looked down at the belt and laughed.
"Right, I never remember that one, it's so normal for me I don't ever notice I even have it on anymore." Zack said scratching the back of his. "Alright lets get this stuff loaded." he said he picked up the box containing his bed and hefted it easily into the back of the truck. Aerith put the boxes with chairs in one at a time. Cid picked up the table and put it in the back as Zack got the mattress. Zack and Cid hefted the couch back up into the truck. Zack looked into the very full back as Cid closed up the back. "Um, is it still going to run?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"This isn't some little city boy's toy, this thing'll run no problem." Cid said with a laugh patting the large truck heavily. This guy was very obviously tough. Almost SOLDIER level tough, but for some reason Zack didn't think he would live that long in SOLDIER, it took a certain kind of person to be a member of SOLDIER. Zack nodded.
"Alright. So, uh, you don't mind if Aerith goes with you…I kind of have to hit the grocery store on the way back." Zack said.
"Not a problem." Cid said shaking his head his hands resting on his hips. Aerith laughed a little but nodding as an answer.
"Alright well then..." he paused as he fished into his pocket and pulled out his new house key he gave it to Aerith, "You guys just head on in, if you don't mind it would be a great help if you start putting stuff together." He said. Aerith looked down at the key in her hand and smiled, nodding to Zack. Zack sighed, "Well I'll see you in a while then." he said before walking off to his car hoping they would be alright with his stuff.
When Zack pulled into his driveway again Cid's truck was still parked outside. The back of the truck was now empty but it was still there and the front door of his house was wide open something that he couldn't help but find somewhat unnerving. He took a deep breath after gathering his groceries up and heading inside. Once inside he ran almost right into Aerith.
"You're back! Let me help you with those." She said taking one of the bags out from underneath his arm. The two of them walked over to the kitchen. There was a light thud from upstairs and Zack looked up with worry practically written all over his face, it only got more worried as he heard a voice that was very obviously not Cid's. "I hope you don't mind. Cid had someone bring by his tools and they started putting together your bed." Aerith said putting the bag down on the counter.
"It's alright...do I know the person?" Zack asked looking out the kitchen and at the stairs. Aerith was about to answer the question but she didn't get the chance as the answer came storming down the stairs and into the kitchen. Its shoulder length brown hair was tied up but its blue eyes were fierce. Zack's face dropped, he was now standing practically face to face with Genesis Raphsodos. Genesis looked up and looked as though he was going to complain, his mouth was open slightly as though to speak but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Zack he looked shocked and surprised.
"Uh..." he looked at Aerith then back at Zack then his eyes landed on the groceries Zack and Aerith had brought in. "Did you get any water by chance?" Genesis asked a brown brow cocked in question. Zack was a little too shocked by the fact that this man who had completely forgotten him not that long ago was now standing in his house like he had seen so much in the distant past. Aerith had started rummaging through the bags. Zack looked over at her as she pulled out a bottle of water and threw it over to Genesis who caught it and turned around all in one motion.
"Thanks." He said waving with a couple fingers in farewell. When he left and ran back on up the stairs Zack let out a sigh as he turned to Aerith.
"Genesis? Why him?" he asked.
"Well he used to work as an apprentice for Cid, but recently he just started working for him. I would have warned you but I didn't think it would come up. I'm sorry." Aerith said shaking her head and biting her lip. Zack sighed.
"No don't worry about it, it's fine, as long as we're getting work done." He said. Aerith seemed a little happier by the statement as well. "Well we may as well go help, there's quite a bit to put together." Zack stated. Aerith nodded and the two headed towards the stairs. There was a knock at the door right before they could even get to the second step though. Zack cocked an eyebrow. "Who the hell?" he asked under his breath, "You go on up, I'll be there in a second." He said walking back down the stairs and towards the door as Aerith headed up.
He opened the door and couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. The person standing on the other side was wearing a black turtle neck sweater and black jeans. A red headband graced his forehead but it barely kept his long black hair out of his face. He was quite a bit taller than Zack and there was one thing that Zack was sure of, he had no idea who this guy was. "Um, may I help you?" Zack asked tilting his head to the head slightly.
"I need to see Cid." The man said. His voice was gruff, kind of like it was rubbing against sand paper, but it wasn't an unpleasant voice.
"Um…who are you?" Zack couldn't help but ask. He wondered why someone would come here looking for someone aside from the owner of the house, it didn't really make sense. But he assumed Cid's huge truck would be visible miles away from here.
"My name's Vincent Valentine." The tall pale skinned man said standing up straight a frown on his face. Zack looked him over but his eyes didn't rest anywhere except for the scarlet coloured eyes and thick black lashes he had. They were so brilliantly different; Zack practically fell in love with this unique character right there. Again pictures of the blond from across the street popped into his head at the thought of the word love. Zack ignored them and turned his attention back to his guest.
"Well I'm Zack Fair. Cid is ups-" Zack was about to finish his sentence when a cursing person practically flew down the stairs. Zack blinked a couple times as he looked at Cid. "-tairs… or not." He finished. Cid grabbed Vincent's arm and the scarlet eyed man looked at the blond with the smallest amount of surprise written across his face.
"One sec Zack, you can go up and help out Genesis." Cid said waving the black haired man away as he closed the door behind himself and Vincent. Zack was left there alone in the hallway very confused but in the end decided to do what Cid had told him to do. He headed up stairs mumbling under his breath about how confusing things had suddenly got. At the top of the stairs he walked over to his old bedroom and saw Genesis putting together the bottom support of his bed. Aerith was sitting on the separate mattress watching him work.
"Hey Zack, this is the right room isn't it?" Genesis asked looking up at the tan skinned man who had just walked into the room.
"Uh yeah. How'd you know?" Zack asked as he thought maybe Genesis had remembered a bit of his past that included Zack.
"I don't know Cid was having trouble picking a room to put everything in when I got here. I told him this just seemed the bedroom so we set up in here." Genesis explained looking back down at his work. Zack nodded he should have expected that it had just been a guess. He looked around and saw the side opposite Genesis where Cid must have been working moments before. Zack shrugged as he went over and started working where it seemed the older man had left off.
"Is there anything you guys would like me to do?" Aerith asked from where she was fiddling around with Genesis's long red jacket. The two men looked up at her then at each other, Zack was the one who replied.
"Can you open the box for one of the chairs and start sorting things out for us. Cid should be back up soon and he can deal with the actually building with you." Zack said looking at Aerith with a soft smile. She smiled back at him and nodded as she ditched the jacket on the mattress and went to opening one of the boxes that contained the pieces of the chair.
"So who was at the door?" Aerith asked looking at Zack curiosity laced her voice.
"Vincent." he and Genesis answered at the same time. Zack looked at Genesis with a cocked eyebrow and Aerith looked at him to as though expecting an explanation for his knowledge. Genesis looked at both of them before sighing.
"Vincent called him earlier and they had a bit of an argument but he decided to come over here. I don't really know what to say about it, the two of them confuse me." He said shaking his head his bangs falling out of the tie he had them in. He pushed these loose bits of hair behind his ear.
"Well I didn't think you'd meet Vincent anytime soon, Zack. Just...remember what I told you earlier." Aerith said with a heavy sigh. Zack nodded and the two men went back to work, the bed frame was already almost finished though, Zack was surprised how efficiently Cid and Genesis had done all this work. They only got to work in peace for a couple minutes though before they were bothered once again by the two downstairs.
"I'm tryin' ta work! Geet off ma back!" Cid yelled loudly coming up the stairs and walking into the room. There were more footsteps though. All the patrons of the room were watching the door at the little show that was being put on. Vincent walked into the room after Cid.
"You talk to me like that then expect me to just leave." Vincent stated with a frown standing in the doorway and crossing his arms with a scowl.
"Well it's not like we need you around." Cid said in a matter-o-factly tone. Vincent's scowl turned into a very sharp glare and his lip twitched up in disgust at the words.
"So you end the conversation like you did?" Vincent growled. Zack looked at Cid; it looked as though he didn't even know that Vincent was pissed off at him.
"I've got nothin' more to say, now get out of here." Cid said waving towards Vincent signaling for him to leave. It just seemed to piss Vincent off more and Zack really noticed how mad Vincent was.
"Uh, hey Vincent, if you want to help you can stay." Zack said with a shrug, "We could always use another hand here." Cid glared at him but the slightest bit of smugness found its way onto Vincent's face as he seemingly won this little bout with Cid. Cid reached up to the pack of smokes strapped to his head but paused and looked at Zack.
"Mind if I smoke?" he asked an eyebrow cocked in questioning.
"Yes I do mind." Zack stated with a frown, he had never been fond of smoking, "If you want to smoke you can head outside. Sorry." Zack said with a shrug. He felt the look Aerith was giving him without lifting his head and he also knew what it was telling him. He had just started off on the wrong foot with Cid, which was something he was hoping he would have been able to avoid. Cid was glowering at him, but it seemed as though Vincent looked pretty pleased by the turn everything had taken. Zack didn't know whether to be happy or a bit upset by what he had just done.
"What should I do?" Vincent asked in his rather quiet voice. Zack looked at him then around the room trying to think of something.
"Well why don't you help Aerith. Cid you can come help us finish off the bed." Zack instructed, again Cid didn't seem to happy. Genesis continued to work away while Vincent went and joined Aerith with no question. Cid looked as though he was about to protest, but he didn't and went to working on the last bits on the other side of the bed.
The five of them worked in silence, when they finished the bed after a while Zack went and helped Vincent and Aerith put together one of the chairs to go down stairs and Genesis and Cid did another one of them. Zack noticed how well Genesis and Cid worked together, almost in perfect synchronization, maybe it had something to do with how thick headed they both were, Zack wasn't really sure. He, Aerith and Vincent didn't work that poorly together either, there was very little communication between the three of them though. Aerith occasionally questioned what she was supposed to be doing but Zack could easily answer the questions. Vincent didn't seem to talk much which seemed in his nature and Aerith seemed a little awkward around the tall man, and the awkwardness between the two of them made Zack not feel like breaking the silence between them.
When they finished the chairs they had been working on they moved them downstairs and Zack saw that Aerith and them had put the couch in the living room already. Zack moved in and shifted it slightly so it was in the same place it had been back when he was a kid and he smiled as he sat down on it. Aerith came in and sat down next to him. Genesis was standing in the doorway, "Well we're going to leave now. Good luck with everything Zack." he said getting the two on the couch to turn and look over at him. He waved and Zack smiled and waved back at him.
"Yeah, well we'll see you later." Zack said. A ghost of a smile found its way onto Genesis's face. Zack looked past Genesis at the other two standing in the doorway. Cid had a sour face on and he looked at the door. Seemingly eager to leave this place right away. Vincent had the same kind of ghost of a smile that Genesis had. Well 2 out of 3 that wasn't that bad but Zack still thought he could have done better and had all of them happy with him.
"Bye." Genesis said. Vincent waved from over his shoulder while Cid just wrenched open the door and headed outside. Zack smiled and waved as they all headed out the door after Cid. The door closed behind them and Zack let out a sigh letting his head hit the back of the couch.
"You did well Zack." Aerith said patting his shoulder and smiling at him in a comforting manner.
"Yeah, but I guess I could have done better, I wish I hadn't pissed off Cid like I did." Zack said with a sigh.
"Don't worry about it. You actually got on Vincent's good side, which is much harder than making Cid happy." Aerith said shaking her head, "And it seems like you're making progress with Genesis as well." She explained, she actually seemed very happy by all this and he couldn't help but have her mood rub off on him as well.
"I guess, but what are the chances of Cid continuing to hate me?" he couldn't help but ask even though he had a feeling he already knew the answer and it wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Pretty high. He's one to keep a grudge. Especially since I have a feeling Vincent's not going to let up on him about it any time soon." She said shaking her head. Zack sighed, his head resting against the couch behind him.
"I should have seen that coming." He said shaking his head and frowning. He looked at Aerith as she got up and looked around and the empty room before looking back down at Zack.
"Would you like me to go make dinner?" she asked tilting her head to the side slightly in question, her long bangs falling into her face slightly but her face had a very kind and sincere smile on it. It made Zack smile and lift his head off the back of the couch and sit up a little straighter.
"That would be nice, if you don't mind. I'm going to go fix some stuff in my room." He said standing up and stretching. The two nodded to one another before they headed off to deal with what they had to deal with. Zack went upstairs and put the mattress on the bed and pushing into place where it had been when he was younger. He smiled at it before looking around trying to think of what else he could need. He liked the wood floor and the pale blue, just off white, paint on the wall. It reminded him of his childhood, which was a feeling he loved. He had a closet so he didn't need a dresser. He strolled over and slid open the door to the closet it only had a single bar stretching from one side to the other. He would need hangers, but he could worry about that later.
When he was done rechecking out his room he headed back downstairs. Aerith hadn't done anything special just made a few sandwiches for the two of them. It was fine by Zack though he wasn't expecting much; he really just wanted to go to sleep right now. He jumped up onto the counter and sighed as he picked up a sandwich and bit into it. He exhaled deeply through his nose as he chewed.
"Hard to believe that things can only get tougher from here…" he stated almost morbidly.
"Don't think like that." Aerith said shaking her head as she jumped up on the counter to sit next to him, "You know well that there are good times waiting for you in the future. Maybe sooner than you think." She said with a sigh and a smile trying to cheer up Zack, it worked, or appeared to work. Zack was a bit too tired now to actually feel the change in emotion.
"Yeah I guess you're right." He said with a shrug as he continued to eat. The two of them ate in a relative silence from that moment until they were done. Zack jumped off the counter and stretched. Aerith watched him blinking lazily. "Well I'm going to grab the few things I brought from my car. I'm sure your mom is getting a little worried, you should probably go home." He said as he turned to face Aerith. She nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I'm getting pretty tired anyways." She said with a yawn, stretching her arms out at either side. Her eyes looked as though they would close at any minute as she smiled at him, slipping off the top of the counter landing gracefully on her feet. Zack escorted her out the door and walked with her to the sidewalk before waving her goodbye. The sun was already kissing the horizon as it set and Zack stared at the reddening sky as Aerith walked to her house. When she was gone he headed to his car, fishing his key out of his pocket he unlocked the trunk and opened it. There were only a few boxes in the back of the truck. Two of them were filled with clothes, the rest filled with varying items that he didn't think he could live without. It took him two trips to get all the boxes inside and up into his room. Altogether there were six boxes.
Zack opened one of the boxes labeled 'Clothes' and pulled out some baggy shorts and changed into them pulling off his shirt and throwing it with his pants and socks on the floor. Voila, he was ready for bed. He stretched slightly and sat down on the floor opening the box labeled 'Misc.' sifting through it trying to figure out exactly what he had brought with him. There was a framed picture his mom had taken of him when he had graduated high school. He laughed slightly at the goofy look on his young face his friends Kunsel and Luxerie were with him. He set it down next to him before reaching back into the box he pulled out two things; he hadn't remembered putting these in. There was an elastic band attaching a piece of paper to the front. He rolled it off and threw it over his shoulder before looking at the paper with a curious look.
My darling Zack,
I hope you're doing well. The fact that you have got this note must mean you are getting more settled now. I'm glad that you can finally do something to make you happier. I would love to see how all your little friends grew up. They must be 25 by now: Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal. I just want to wish you good luck so far away from me. I noticed you had completely forgotten this back at home so I slipped it into one of your boxes. You should share it with your friends and you can relive your old memories together with them. Enjoy, Zack. I love you and I'm always thinking about you.
Love, Mom.
Zack was completely touched. He lifted the paper to his face and kissed the word mom. "I love you too mom." He said quietly. He set down the paper and looked at the small leather bound photo album it had been attached too. It took him a moment before he recognized it and his eyes opened wide as he opened it. He was right, it was the pictures he had taken in his last week living in Nibelheim back when he was young. He gasped lightly as he touched the plastic covering the first picture. It was a picture of himself, Genesis and Angeal. They looked so young, exactly how he remembered his friends. They couldn't have been more than 14 in this picture; Zack knew he had been 10 in the picture. A quivering smile came to his face as he looked at it.
In the picture Genesis had his arm draped around Zack's shoulders. He had one eye closed and was sticking his tongue out at the camera. Zack was laughing one eye closed as he looked out the corner of his open eye at Angeal who was ruffling his hair and smiling at the camera. Zack also knew that Sephiroth had taken the picture; the angle of the camera was perfectly straight as Sephiroth, who had been a bit of a perfectionist when they were younger, would do.
Zack flipped the page and looked at the next two: on the first page it was a picture of Tifa and the Turks. Zack remembered it was supposed to just be a picture of the Turks but Tifa had come in draping her arms around Cissinei, her sudden appearance making Reno fall over, Tseng and Rude looked stoic as ever. Zack's eyes lingered on the girl with fiery orange hair. He frowned deeply and felt his throat clench at the sight of her, he couldn't believe she was gone now. But he didn't let it get to him; he was far too strong to let one person's death bother him that much. The picture on the next page was him trying to take the picture again except with Tifa and Aerith, who had shown up after Reno started up a commotion, in it, but they had been interrupted again. Reno had managed to lean out of the picture in enough of an instant to grab the arm of a passing Rufus Shinra and pull him awkwardly into the picture and Genesis had come up and goosed Tifa which had earned himself a split second slap which Zack had managed to capture in the picture. Zack couldn't help but laugh at this one; it was so cluttered it was amazing everyone had fit.
Pictures that graced the next few pages were all graced with the faces of the young versions of his friends: Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, Cissinei, Aerith, Tifa, Reno, Rude, Tseng, Lazard, Rufus and… he paused as he flipped to the last page, his breath hitched at it and he felt tears threaten to fall as he looked down at the two young faces in the awkwardly angled picture. Zack was looking down at his young self sitting next to a very young Cloud; the blond couldn't have been more than 8 years old in the picture. He recognized that instant in his life immediately reliving it in his head for a moment.
"It's a promise, alright?"
"Yeah, a promise."
The two young voices rang through his head and his smile started to quiver. He had a feeling Cloud didn't remember this moment in their lives in the least though it was the one moment that kept Zack working towards his goals his whole life. The one thing that kept him completely sane. He didn't want to look at it right now, but looking through the little book of picture in general had restarted his thoughts and he knew he was going to make people in this town that forgot him remember him. He figured he would start with Genesis, even the thick headed brunette couldn't deny something if it was shoved in his face like these pictures. Zack put the book back in the box and stood up stretching. He opened another box and pulled out a blanket and a pillow before falling down onto the soft mattress. He couldn't help but have a slight ray of hope drift into his mind as he fell asleep.
OMG. My one story that isn't dead. Sure took me a long time to write this chapter, but i ended up putting a lot more into it then I thought I would. Genesis and Vincent weren't supposed to show up in this chapter, but they did. I realized earlier on this week that I needed to introduce Vincent early in the story or it would be harder to get everything to work out later. What a bother. I am working on this story! More then any other. Please tell me what you think about it, I am very curious. I will try to not take as long with the next chapter. (Once I find the plot I have written out *searches*) Well I'll update later.
~Fire.