Hello! I've decided to put more Zarith into this story, so it will take place in the crevasses of "Take Me With You!" in the form of side stories. Of course, there will be CloTi side stories as well.

I'm listening to "Price of Freedom" as I write. Next chapter will be the continuation of the previous chapter.

Please enjoy this side story.

Zack's POV

Take Me With You: Side Story 1- Zack X Aerith

When it first started

I do not have much recollection of my parents, they are a mere cloud of mist in my head now. Their faces had stopped appearing in my mind long ago, yet I feel their arms around me during cold nights when the warmth leave me abandoned. Though I've long dismissed these as mere self-comforting illusions, perhaps on a subconscious level, I miss them dearly. Sometimes, I find myself staring in the mirror, hoping an image of my father or mother, would appear before me, shown through these features given by them. Surely they are watching from the Lifestream, protecting me.

Now, dark memories no longer haunt me, and I've long gotten over my Arsonphobia. The "Nibelheim Incident" is a taboo we should never speak of. Rumours speculated that it was a work of a devil, or a punishment from the planet. I do not hold any grudge or the urge to avenge my parents, hatred scares me. It is a feeling I do not wish to tap on, I enjoy my light-hearted way of life.

At a time when tongues of fire raped my mind, I've been saved by an angel descended from the skies. Yes, it may sound cliché, but I believe it till this day. Aerith Gainsborough is my angel, I would gladly trade my life for her. When all I could feel was heat eating at my skin, flesh and bones, I could see her pair of jade green eyes looking at me. It might be the only thing that gave me my strength.

I'm no good with these mushy things. But ever since I healed from the burns, my life started anew, a life with its central being her.

xXx

Aerith and I share a past together, when it was just the both of us.

When Elmyra took me in, there was no Nibelheim Home, and the "incident" was still fresh in the villagers' minds. Houses were burnt to the ground, corpses were piled at the foot of Mount Nibel, cackling from the flames that cremated them. Nibelheim's air reek of ashes. The survivors with enough gil, left town to seek a better living in the cities and Nibelheim was left to rot. Aerith and I lived with Elmyra, in a huge mansion, I could not remember much of it, but the light that shone through its window had a fluorescent shimmer on Aerith's russet locks and made her lime green eyes sparkle. Being so close to death, I thought she was an angel, with the Lifestream in her eyes, the planet's energy all within her glimmering orbs.

At a time when the future was bleak, Elmyra too was faced with challenges. I remember hearing her sobs in the middle of the night, dark eye rings under her heavy lidded eyes. Occasionally, there would be instances of her face bruised or swollen, often after a series of screams of a man with a sharp and sneaky voice. Times like that, Aerith would cry in my arms. Though my body screamed in soreness from the burns, my heart would swell at her touch. She needed someone, I was there, and I swore I always will be.

It took almost a year for my wounds to fully heal. A year younger than me, 4 years old Aerith had a missing front tooth. We could barely speak in full sentences, but I could hear her, feel her. Around Aerith, my senses were sharper than usual. I want to know her. During this time, I vaguely remember another woman's soft hand on our cheeks. Elmyra left us with "Aunt Jen" who owned a school in the village before it burnt down. She told us in a soft and gentle tone that she had rebuilt the necessary parts, and it will be our new home, Nibelheim Home.

Only two other children reside in the Orphanage. Not a weird phenomena, I was surprised that there even were survivors other than myself. The fire as I recalled, burnt as it it was alive, exploded and engulfed everything in its path. They were Rufus and Rude, both a year older than I am, two years older than Aerith.

xXx

Aerith and I share a promise.

Nights when she couldn't sleep, I would talk to her, holding her hand tight in mine. "Where's Elmyra?"

"She will be back soon." I would lie, I had no idea, but the truth holds no importance when the priority is for her to feel better.

"Elmyra…" I know her fears. When I concentrate on her, I could hear what she is thinking, I could feel what she is feeling.

"Elmyra would be fine." I often lied to her, too often.

"Zack, don't leave me." She is afraid of losing, a phobia that existed long before she could remember. Something in the distant past, when she was an infant. Someone had abandoned her.

"I won't, ever." That was not a lie. I will never leave her, even if she did not need me by her side, I will stay. That night, I made a promise to myself, that I will never leave her alone. A promise I will eventually fail to keep.

"Zack," I could still picture the tears in her eyes when she looked at me, and the coldness of her fingers in mine. "You have such pretty eyes."

I smiled at her, my other hand moved up to my eyes in reflex. "They're the colour of the sky, isn't it."

She frowned and pinched me lightly. "I'm afraid of the sky."

"Afraid of the sky?"

"Yes. But… your eyes are different. I like them."

"If you're afraid of the sky, I'll protect you against it. I'll protect you against anything."

She laughed. "You're like a hero."

I hugged her in my arms. We were too young to know what love is, but I know that I will never let go of this girl.

xXx

"Dear Passengers, we are faced with a sudden attack by a pack of wolves. Please tighten y—ssk sssss zzzssz…"

Zack awoke from his dream with a loud wheeze and wiped a lingering tear in his left eye. He couldn't be more glad that Cloud wasn't around to witness his soft moment.

I'll join SOLDIER. And this time, I'll be a true hero.

A/N: I love Zarith!

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