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Post by Kupo on Mar 11, 2011 11:00:23 GMT -5
The breeze tugged gently at Zack's spiky hair as he peered out to the horizon with his sky blue eyes. He let out a sigh into sea air as he stood in the port in the little town of Balamb. He was fed up. He'd been searching everywhere, non-stop for weeks, travelling from strange new town to some familiar locations. After a long and choppy boat ride he found himself in this pleasant coastal town with a look of disappointment written across his face. Primarily, he was trying to track Aerith down, so perhaps he could finally respond to her letters but he was also looking for the other people he had cared about. Angeal, Cloud, Cissnei and even Tseng. It seemed, however, that finding these people in the merged world was like trying to find a needle in a big bunch of haystacks.
He'd had absolutely no luck and although he couldn't just lose that motivation he was beginning to feel like he'd never find any of them. It was disheartening and, having strolled around balamb for the best part of the day, asking people what they knew or if they'd seen anyone that matched the descriptions of his friends, he needed to decide on where to go next. He walked over to the edge of the pier and removed the large buster sword from it's holster on his back before flumping himself down on the ground. He placed the impressive, and slightly rusty, weapon to his left a lay back with hands under his head and his legs dangling lazily over the pier.
The warm sunshine and the cool breeze had made for a perfect day but even now as he took the time to relax, think things over and just watch the clouds float by he couldn't help but feel an empty space in his chest. Something was missing and he knew exactly what it was. He let out another sigh, which developed into a yawn. It seemed all this searching constantly had tired him out but he knew if he just tried to relax and enjoy himself his conscience wouldn't let him. Slowly but surely as he mulled over whether to catch the next boat out of here or make his way to Cosmo Canyon his eyes began to droop. Finally he fell asleep in the glorious sunshine, his hair and clothes still being tussled around by the wind that was preventing the day from being unbearably hot.
[ooc - it's a little lame but i haven't posted in ages...]
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Post by Griever on Mar 13, 2011 5:15:53 GMT -5
The world was a very different place from the one Aerith remembered. Familiar places were scattered amongst countless new ones, and even in those she had known, things completely foreign to her filled the streets. In Edge she had passed a woman who had seemed as much animal as human, in Junon she had boarded an airship that was like nothing her world had even conceived of. Travel was always fascinating no matter where it took her, but for all the wonders she was met with, she grew more disheartened every time her search proved fruitless.
Which was more often than not. She should've expected it, she reflected as she sat in the cabin of yet another airship, watching the clouds drift past out the window and sighing. Of course it wouldn't be easy. The world was so much bigger now, after all, and what reason would they have had to stay, when so much was happening beyond even what they had known as their world? Reeve, of course, was loyal as ever to the WRO, but even that connection had turned up nothing; he'd been out of town when she had checked Edge, and a pressing sense of urgency to her cause had spurred her to leave rather than wait for his return. Cloud, though...well, Cloud was Cloud. He could've been anywhere.
A sharp jolt indicated that the aircraft was beginning its descent, pulling her from her thoughts. Aerith stood, stretching her arms high over her head, letting go of the weight of disappointment that had begun to set in with a smile. Balamb, was it? A new town, a new start to the search, and as much chance here as anywhere. Besides, no one would buy from an unhappy flower girl.
Within minutes the ship had landed, and she found herself stepping down from it into yet another unfamiliar city, the impeccable weather quickly driving away any lingering uneasiness. Salt-scented air hit her strongly, tossing her braided hair about behind her and throwing her bangs around her face. Aerith smiled at it, shutting her eyes, breathing it in, letting the sun warm her skin. This was the perfect place to keep looking, and she couldn't have asked for a better day to arrive.
Balamb wasn't particularly large, she learned quickly. Before long she had walked from one end of town to the other, taking in the sights of everything in between, and then finally she had come to the edge of town, a small dock filled end to end with ships, clearly not built for the amount of traffic in and out of the little city since the Merge. Here the air was damp with the sea spray and the place was thick with travelers, so that she had to slip between them to finally reach the pier and a proper view of the ocean. Not since Costa del Sol had she seen water so beautifully clear. An overwhelming urge came over her to reach in, to feel it against her skin for just a moment, but then as she bent down to do it, a bright flash of sun against metal caught her eye, blinding for a moment. Instinctively she turned toward the source and found an oversized blade laying a short distance away; the sight made her freeze where she was. She felt her breath catch at the familiarity. Certainly it couldn't be...
But as she raised up again, slowly, and looked beyond it, she saw him laying there, that familiar uniform, dark hair tossed by the wind, faint scar just visible in the sunlight. It took concentrated effort for Aerith to steady herself. Ninety letters and so many years, and here he was, sleeping in the middle of a strange town without a care in the world. Part of her wanted to run over to him then and just hold on as though she'd never let go, the sight of him was so striking and so incredibly comforting after so, so long. But it wasn't that part that won out, as another idea struck her. Quietly she approached until she stood over him, and then she leaned over, unable to contain her smile at the familiarity of it.
"Hellooooo-ooooo..."
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Post by Kupo on Mar 14, 2011 10:27:42 GMT -5
As he drifted into sleep the salty taste of the air seemed to command his subconscious. He was taken away from this small town to the golden beaches of Costa del Sol. How he'd longed then just to relax and simply had no time to do so in contrast to his current situation were all he had was time and just couldn't stop and have fun. He dreamt he was on the beach in just his trunks with Cloud by his side. He was teaching the blonde to wield the exaggeratedly rusty buster sword in a sparring match. Zack himself was wielding a folded sun umbrella which was holding up far too well against a weapon such as his own sword.
They were having a great time in this dream, both of them wearing broad smiles as the ducked and slashed at each other. Neither of them seemed able to land a blow on the other, they were simply too evenly matched. Finally, in a moment of cunning, Zack popped the umbrella open, startling his dream opponent into moving backwards. He then pulled it back down and struck out sharply at Cloud's head, landing a nice blow amongst his golden spikes. They both laughed as the loser now rubbed at the bump on his head but the dream was taking on a nightmarish twist.
His friend's skin began to decay and crack all over, his hair falling out to show his sickly green scalp. Cloud was screaming now as the flakes peeled away from body. Underneath was not the bare, exposed flesh one would have expected though, instead there was a new face, contorted with pain. Horror struck Zack dead in the chest, knocking the breath from his lungs as he recognised the being emerging from the shell of his friend. Sephiroth. His mouth closed and the resonating sound of Cloud's cry ended instantly as the pale lips formed a cruel smile.
The beauty of the beach was fading to darkness, almost as though something had covered up the sun. Sephiroth was a glowing beacon in the gloom as his face twisted and spun. His heart was racing as he opened his mouth to make some cold hearted remark. But the remark never passed his lips. Instead a familiar voice took it's place.
"Hellooooo-ooooo..."
He woke with a start, unable to focus in the sudden brightness. He blinked his way back to reality, trying to distinguish the figure that clearly loomed over him as more than just a silhouette against the sun. He began to realise what was going on rather slowly, initially realising where he knew that voice from and suddenly making out the face above him. A gasp escaped him as he tried to discern reality from his dream for she seemed as real to him now as Cloud had only moments ago. The whole situation was so reminiscent of their first meeting that Zack simply couldn't help himself from playing along, even though he was almost overwhelmed with excitement.
“Heaven?”
Slowly he pulled his legs back up onto the pier and began to sit up, unable to stop the spread of the grin across his face.
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Post by Griever on Mar 30, 2011 4:27:41 GMT -5
"Not quite." Aerith stepped forward until she stood next to Zack, then sat down, setting her flower basket aside and stretching her legs out over the edge of the pier. "At least I don't think so." Laughter, soft and subtle, marked her voice. Then for a moment she was silent, smiling, just watching him. Zack with the whole of the ocean and the sky behind him, and all the color there paled against his eyes.
Then she stretched her arms out behind her and leaned back, swinging her feet back and forth over the water, staring up at the sky. Funny, now, to think that she'd been afraid of it. The thought made her wonder exactly when it was she'd stopped, when that overwhelming feeling that it was too much had given way to the warmth she felt now.
"Color of the sky, right?"
She couldn't help smiling. Yes, certainly, that had been what marked the change.
"I had a feeling it wasn't just me." Aerith sat up straighter, pulling her own legs back up as she turned to look at him. "When I woke up, I mean. As soon as I realized what happened, all I could think was..." Then she shook her head, laughing, brushing off the unfinished statement. "I even wrote you a letter, just in case. Guess I didn't need to, huh? But..." Hesitation as she considered her words. "I'm glad I was right."
Brief silence fell. Strange how, when there were too many things to say, none of them came out at all. Funny, how familiar it felt, sitting and talking like this. Like all the waiting and the pain and the sadness had never happened. It could've been yesterday they'd wandered the slums on their first date, if not for all the memories that filled the time in between. Good memories, despite everything, when she looked back on them.
Her eyes turned down, back to the basket of colorful flowers. Not her Midgar blossoms - they wouldn't have lasted the journey, even if she'd tried to bring enough, so she'd had to take whatever was native to the regions she visited. But then the glint of metal next to them again caught her eye, so that she couldn't help looking over the sword. Almost strange now, seeing it with Zack again, after watching Cloud use the same blade for so long.
Cloud. The thought of him hit her with a suddenness that was startling, so that she turned abruptly back to Zack, features lit with hopeful curiosity. "Cloud! Have you seen Cloud yet?" A rush of excitement came over her; even if he hadn't, she wasn't alone in her search any longer, provided he was willing to join her. "I looked in Edge, but..." A shake of the head indicated the futility of that search. "I heard he was running a business out of the city, but it sounded like it had been a while since anyone heard from him. There hasn't been a word to go on since."
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Post by Kupo on Jun 6, 2011 7:41:47 GMT -5
Zack had never felt such satisfying happiness in all his life. He’s struggled with everything that he had to try and get back to Aerith after the events of Nibelhiem. Hell he’d taken on Shinra’s entire army and then when he couldn’t fight anymore he found the strength to pass his mission on to Cloud. Now that he was finally with her, after everything that had gone before, he felt like he could let go of the past. He could finally start looking forward.
He could barely take his eyes off of her as she swung her legs out over the inviting water below. It seemed so natural to just be together like this. Nothing could have wiped the smile off of his face in that moment. As she spoke, he struggled to listen to what she was saying because he was so absorbed in the sound of her voice. He’d missed that so much it was almost painful, hearing it now was joyful. He knew exactly what she meant when she described how she just knew she wasn’t the only one who had been returned to this life. He’d thought so too. He’d known she must be back too and now that he’d found her he couldn’t help wondering about the others he missed. Most notably of them all was Angeal. He remembered how Aerith had held him as he wept for his friend. He had been responsible for killing him and even if it was for the sake of protecting his honour, that was something he would always regret.
He had zoned out a little, thinking about Angeal but when she mentioned the letter he came flying back to reality. He couldn’t even get words out, so instead he dove a hand into his pocket and fished out the slightly crumpled letter he’d caught on the outskirts of Midgar.
“I got it,” he began in a voice that was too calm to match his emotions as he held the paper up for her to see. “I got another one too, back then, but I never got to read any of the others... I-” Zack paused for a second as his voice took a more serious tone. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” He couldn’t imagine how it must have felt when he just didn’t come back. He had hoped Tseng would have explained things to her but that had probably been impossible. He was still over come with joy but he needed to apologise. The silence that followed was by no means awkward. In fact it was comfortable just sitting in each other’s company. It was hard to believe he wasn’t still dreaming but if he was he never wanted to wake up. This was too perfect.
“Cloud! Have you seen Cloud yet?"
The sudden question was almost startling but Zack too was quickly swept along with her excitement. He had been thinking about his living legacy. He was keen to see him too after all these years. He’d achieved so much, things that Zack had been incapable of and he too was owed an apology. The way things had gone, he’d been more or less abandoned by Zack and he was determined to make it right.
“I haven’t seen any sign of him either, but I’m sure with both of us looking he won’t be able to hide much longer!” he claimed confidently. He was optimistic about things, as always, but he was aware that hunting Cloud down would be no easy task. He could be anywhere in this huge world and as such the words “needle” and “haystack” sprang to mind.
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Post by Griever on Jul 10, 2011 21:26:48 GMT -5
It didn't seem possible. Such a tiny little hope, a single piece of paper tossed to a wind that could've carried it anywhere in the vast world, and...it reached him. Her letter actually reached him. Aerith looked back down to the water, overwhelmed by the thought, the sheer, simple significance of it. Perhaps it was just a tiny thing, really, but somehow, it meant everything. She wanted to say something in response, but every time words started to form, they caught before she could give them voice. But the silence wasn't so bad, now that they were together. The silence really wasn't so bad at all.
She took a long, deep breath of the sea air, leaning back, letting the cool spray and the warm sunlight touch her face with a content smile. It was those things - the small, commonplace things - that, more than anything, made her feel alive. Then she laughed, a high, cheerful sound, getting to her feet. "We'll find him," she agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "I know we will. There's got to be word somewhere." Bending down, she reached for Zack's hand, intent on pulling him to a stand next to her; the moment her slender fingers met the leather of his glove, however, she stopped, unprepared for how much memory was in that touch.
She was fifteen, and he'd come crashing down from the sky.
She was seventeen, and her arms were around him as he cried.
She was twenty-two, and she knew she'd never see him again.
Her slender fingers tightened around his hand. Of course there was no way she could've known that was wrong. For a while, it had been unbearable. But now...
"Zack..." Aerith's voice was subdued, gentle but pensive as her mind went back over his words. "You don't have anything to apologize for. You did everything you could, I understand that now. This is what matters. And you're here now, aren't you?"
The past was behind them, and they needed to let it go. Not to forget; forgetting wasn't possible, and it wasn't something she would've wanted anyway, but to accept it and move on. It was too much weight for anyone to carry, and guilt and regret wouldn't change anything. Nothing needed to be changed. There was too much ahead to keep looking back.
"Let's go." She tugged firmly at his hand, smiling again, a resolved little smile of sudden conviction. "Cloud's waiting, isn't he?"
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Post by Kupo on Oct 12, 2011 8:00:51 GMT -5
Zack was in the height of his enthusiasm for finding cloud when her fingers met his – it was like someone had kicked him in the chest or like his lungs had forgotten how to draw breath. It simply knocked the air out of him and seemed to finally untie all the knots in his body that had been aching and straining to know that touch again. The way she hesitated too it seemed clear she was sharing his feelings. That flood of release that swept over him brought a glimmer to his eyes. He wouldn’t cry, though he felt that tears of joy where only just being restrained. Now was no time for tears, now was time for laughter!
So he laughed. He laughed at the way she’d paused; the way she’d said hello, just like the first time they had met; he laughed because it expressed his emotions so perfectly, giving him that last bit of release he would have only received by submitting either to the torrent of laughter or the tears that had begun to well in his eyes. When finally he stopped his whole upper body hurt. In fact he was pretty sure he’d never laughed so hard in all of his life.
He listened as she accepted his apology, every word playing on his mind, dancing like music. The smile was still broad on his face, the rosiness in his cheeks from laughing so much was still there whe he replied.
“I am here now. His voice was quieter but the happiness that it emitted was palpable. “And I won’t be leaving you again.” He wanted to share the thought out loud but the moment didn’t seem right. He made it a promise to himself instead, one that he would never break. Hell the only thing that had stopped him coming back before was death – this time not even that would make him break his promise.
She pulled his arm, her fingers gripping tightly around his hand and he sprang up to his feet. She was exactly right. Cloud was waiting, somewhere out there in the vastness of the world. It would take a lot to find him but in the end it was just something they had to do. So hand in hand with her the moved off into the warm town of Balamb, intent on finding the next person to take them out of there. Nothing could touch on the warmth he felt in his heart, not even that deliciously cool breeze that still tugged on his hair.
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