…But none of that would happen now…“Aer…I’m sorry,&
…But none of that would happen now…
“Aer…I’m sorry,” Zack whispered somehow, voice inaudible but no less certain, “I was on my way to see you, I promise, I was. I wanted nothing more than to see you again but… I… I just…I didn’t make it. I tried my hardest, but I failed. I should have been here. I should have kept that promise, but I can’t. For that, I’m sosorry, Aer…I’m so sorry.”
Aerith’s continued cries told him she didn’t hear him, couldn’t until she herself left this place of existence even with her Cetra heritage.
“P-Please, Zack,” Aerith sniffled, rubbing her face against the ribbon he bought her so long ago that was clenched in her fist. “Please c-come back…g-g-give him back!… I…I just wanted to spend m-more time with him…”
Nonexistent heart shattering at her broken wishes, Zack felt himself fading.
The pull to the lifestream undeniable but in a desperate attempt to comfort her even the smallest bit from his separate plane of existence, Zack tightened his wispy hold on her. Pushing as deep as he could go and with the last of his strength and will, his essence brushed against hers in the barest of touches.
…A meaning of “I love you”, “I’m sorry”, and “I’ll wait for you” all nestled into one…
Then he was gone.
Aerith jolted, her shaking subsiding for only a moment as she looked around. For only the scarcest hints of a second, she felt him… The sunlight returning for just a moment before leaving her cold again… Sniffling, Aerith glanced down at her shaking hand that held tightly to the ribbon and swore she’d felt a touch, much like the warmth of his hand over her own but that dissipated as well…
Pain resurfacing at his loss and the loss of their future together, Aerith buried her face into her knees and cried and cried andcried.
(Keep Reading)
Welp. Well, this is the most depressing thing I’ve written and drawn. T__T It was the first time I legitimately cried while writing something so that was new lol. It all just happened, the art and then the story within one morning and afternoon.
In the OG, Aerith was in bitter denial. I really believe she knew Zack was dead the whole time but didn’t want to believe it. Being a cetra, I’m sure she felt his spirit leave but didn’t want to believe Zack didn’t would never be coming back to her. She made up the story of him perhaps forgetting her and finding a new girlfriend but I really believe that was a front Aerith had to hide the pain for she knew in her heart Zack was dead. It was easier for her to believe he was out there somewhere and never coming back than to believe he died so that’s how this happened. That moment at the end of Crisis Core, when she gasps, she had to have known and broken down at least that night so I had to write it. Also, ghost Zack appearance because I said so.
Damn, the Zerith romance is so tragic and even if they’re together in the lifestream in canon, it just fucking hurts that they never got their happy ending. I hope that the remake has some hope for a happier ending for these two but here’s to hoping it won’t end up in more tragedy but I’m not holding my breath. XD
Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:22:19
