Chapter Seventy-Eight: A New Start

Aerith was startled to see Zack so solemn for once. Even before he turned from his wolf form back to his normal self, she could see how tense and tight his muscles were. As he morphed, the scowl only deepened.

"Have you seen what was stuck in between?" he asked, his voice grave.

"No…why?"

"See for yourself."

This wasn't a rare occurrence. Souls often strayed as they passed from life to death. It was up to Zack and Aerith to guide them to the beyond, where they could rest.

So why so solemn? The souls were sometimes badly frightened, but Zack had shouldered the burden before, smiling and joking until even the lost soul was laughing. Maybe it was a child? He always took the deaths of infants the hardest.

But the souls in question were too large to be children. A young man and a young woman lay in the river, their legs immersed as their upper bodies lay limp on the sandy riverbed. Their hands were clasped tightly together, and they had drawn so close that for a moment it seemed as if they might be one.

It didn't take long for Aerith to find what had disturbed Zack so. The man's long hair, veiling half of his pale face, was a glimmering silver hue. A long gash ran through his stomach and there were many more cuts across his body, causing the river around him to flow away crimson.

"Yazoo?" Aerith asked for confirmation. "Then who is this…?"

Cautiously, she tried to examine the woman, causing Yazoo to startle, hugging her close to him, shielding her with his battered and bruised arms. Zack stepped in, tenderly prying the woman away so Aerith could see her clearly.

"Aralyn?" she asked, alarmed.

"No…her remnant. Vega. Which means that Aralyn's sure to follow before long."

Aerith nodded, sensing that Zack's trouble came on two accounts. He had often told her of Aralyn and how dear a friend she had been to him.

"We have to send them back, Zack."

Zack's eyes flared, not an expression usually seen on the easy-going man's face. "I will escort Vega back to life, but Yazoo will stay here, in death."

"You feel the need to send them both back as well as I do," Aerith persisted.

Zack lifted Vega and faced toward the end of the river that would lead them to the realm of the living. "Take him further in, where he can't get out…"

"No…" a frail voice whispered.

Zack looked down at Vega, who was struggling to open her eyes. "No, please…give him…a second chance."

"Zack," Aerith warned. "The wish of a dying woman is a powerful thing."

"She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I think she knows better than you do, and that's why she asked."

Zack stood immobile for a long time, the river flowing on at his ankles. "Take Yazoo," he finally said. "Have them clasp hands. Let them return together. To life. Send them to your chapel, where we can keep an eye on them until they recover."

Aerith smiled as she gathered the remnant. "Someday, we'll understand exactly why we did this. Until then, we can only assume that it was meant for the best."