Second Chance

Loss for Words

Aerith had finally calmed down after almost an hour of sobbing. Zack had tried to understand why, but she wouldn't give him an answer. To him, She seemed so heartbroken, and it just pained him seeing her like that; but he couldn't just force her to tell him. So he decided not to pressure her and carried her out of the church. That was over an hour ago; now, they were making their way to their next destination, Edge.

He would steal a glance at her every now and then to see how she was doing, but she always had that distant look in her eyes that told him that she was deep in thought over some matter. The silence was torture to him; that and her long untied hair was flowing with the ever-changing wind direction, causing him to either get a mouth full of her hair or cover his line of vision each time it blew his way.

The hair and wind issue aside, he didn't know what exactly to say to uplift her spirits in such a situation. The worst-case scenario is that he brings up the issue again, and she starts crying more than before. He couldn't handle seeing her cry; it was just too painful to bear. But maybe a little typical, meaningless question would help. Perhaps something that would get her mind off the problem.

"Enjoying the ride so far?" he tried to break the ice between them and lighten the mood. "If you feel uncomfortable don't be afraid to tell me k?" he mustered the usual cheerful personality he was known for. Still, the only response he got from Aerith was a weak nod, which increased his concern for her even more. Maybe he shouldn't have started with that question.

What else could he say?

After all, they still have a long way ahead of them till they reach their destination.

"So... how is the flower selling business going? I heard that the cart lost a wheel" he again tried to sound as natural as he could. "I probably should have tightened the screw harder. But don't you worry, If you still want a new one, then I'll build you a better and stronger cart". He turned his gaze to her and grinned. "So what do you say?" he patiently waited for her reply.

"I'll think about it," She finally responded, but it sounded forced and sad, unlike how she would usually respond. Zack then felt her head resting on his shoulder, yet he could no longer see her face, and frowned. She might be tired, he thought, so he didn't continue the conversation. Instead leaned his head to hers and kissed the back of her head.

"Rest easy Aerith, I'll get us safely to Edge in no time," he whispered to her before facing forward. Her free-flowing hair, caught by the wind, flew in front of him, blocking his view. He snickered, blowing away the strands from his sight. He decided to get her a new hair ribbon the first chance he got.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Unbeknownst to him, she wasn't asleep. She pretended to be to stop him from worrying. Besides, she needed some time to sort out her thoughts; after all, the discovery she made a while ago was a big shock to her. Her legs weren't numb. They were fine. The problem, though, was from something much worse. She wished it was a mistake, but the memories were a clear account of the cause.

In her mind, she could remember it all clearly. She was there, in the city of the ancients. At the altar to be more precise, praying to the planet. Her concentration solely focused on the exchange between her and Gaia. The wisdom of her ancestors flows freely into her mind from the white materia, an heirloom from her mother. This wisdom took the form of energy running through her veins, taking some of her own mana to fuel its journey from the sphere to her fingertips. Then from there, it seeped to the ground and into the planet, giving the Lifestream the instructions to start casting the ultimate spell of protection known, Holy.

But as she woke up from her trance state, the planet's warning had reached her all too late. That's when it happened; that's when Sephiroth came. Dropping from the sky, he lost no time piercing her midsection from the back. The long sword appeared in her view, shining flawlessly, mocking her ignorance. On its own, her upper body dropped forward after the man painfully pulled his weapon out of her. She remembered seeing not a drop of blood on or around her. Yet she was still in pain; from what? She could not tell. But as her murderer was battling with her friends, she was starting to get cold.

She tried to help herself, but her magic wasn't working, and she was losing mana fast. She tried to move, but her legs didn't respond to her pleas. That's when she realized not only did Sephiroth give her a slow death, but he also damaged her spine severely. So even if by some miracle, she survived, she would never be able to walk again.

After remembering that cruel fact, her mind was just a mess. Filled with depressing theories of possibilities were she to tell Zack of her 'condition.' Although she didn't picture him as a guy who would abandon her in her time of need, she still harbored some worry over how he would react to the news. At this moment, she was at a loss for words, so she diverted her attention to the changing horizon and watched as they exited Midgar's rubble and damaged remains to the newly constructed city of Edge.