Second Chance

From the Stream

His speaking suggested he was either talking to himself or someone else, which was odd seeing as she was sure that the only people in the immediate area were herself and him; unless he was talking to someone on the phone. Or maybe he was directing his speech to her? She wasn't very sure if that was the case, though. Then again the person kept saying her name, so he both knew who she was and was talking to her. This person turned out to be such a funny man, funny and sweet.

The person continued for almost half an hour; later, he finally joined her side on the wooden bench. The surface she was on stirred a bit from the extra weight. A gentle warm object patted her head and slipped under her hand, holding it tightly. The feeling she got from that warmth, those soft touches, and that heartbeat from before. It was all too familiar to her, but she couldn't place her finger on who it reminded her of.

But whoever it was, she begged them mentally to stay, Just till she could at the very least thank them for all the help they had given her earlier.

After some time had passed, it felt natural to open her eyes, much easier than before. And she can feel her limbs too, but not her legs for some reason. One of her hands still had that warmth before, and she just noticed it was heavy. Curiosity took over her; she had to know who it was now that she could. When her eyes fluttered open slowly, her vision was a tad blurry at first, and everything was just a big colorful blob in her view momentarily. But with time, her vision cleared, and everything got sharper and more defined. She saw that the scenery around her was of her sweet old church. The early morning sun was visible and shined in from the open roof. The soft golden rays reflected off the pool of clear water lighting the hall she sat in. The shimmering surface rippled as flower petals danced on it carefully, making it look so calm and peaceful in her perspective. Her eyes glanced around the familiar scene in front of her in awe, admiring the pleasant and beautiful scenery. She soon snapped out of her daydreaming state, remembering the reason why she was forcing herself to be awake in the first place. Facing her side, her gaze landed on the large black leather gloved hand that protectively enveloped her small hand.

Her eyes slowly followed the arm up to its owner's face, widening at the sudden discovery of the person's identity. It was the man she was frantically searching for in the lifestream, Zack Fair. The same man left on his mission years ago and went missing. And that she later discovered his demise when they met in the lifestream. Who recently disappeared from the lifestream for an unknown reason.

She found it hard to maintain her tears, she was happy to have found him, and he looked safe and alive? But how was that possible? And not just him, she too was living and breathing but how? From what he told her and what she knew, the Shinra army killed him, and Sephiroth killed her, and their deaths weren't recent either. The question repeated itself in her mind, and no matter how she twisted and turned the facts and reasons, she couldn't find a suitable explanation for it. Being the Cetra she was, she resorted to asking the planet for the answer. Unfortunately, the response she got wasn't what she needed. Instead of the usual whispers she was used to hearing from the planet; she was instead hearing a woman's voice in her head as clear as day.

'Child there's no need for worry. You are in no immediate danger.'

'W-who are you?'

'I am the guardian of Gaia's Lifestream, Minerva. I and here to answer your call.'

'I... hear about you, briefly, from my mother. Lady Minerva, please tell me, how is it that we are alive?'

'You were reborn in a... Unnatural method my dear. And whole it is Taboo, Gaia sees no harm in both of you being resurrected; and thus granted you it's blessing of life.'

'Oh, thank you. We'll be sure to cherish this chance you've allowed us to have.'

'Stay vigilant child, And till we next meet. Fare thy well.'

The man beside her stirred in his sleep, interrupting her from responding, her attention now averted from the entity. But he wasn't waking up yet; he was merely fixing his sleeping position. When he did, his arms wrapped themselves around her thin figure and pulled her closer to himself, unintentionally. She suddenly found that her head rested on the man's broad, warm chest; it caused her to blush in a bright shade of red. She was also having difficulty breathing, not because he was holding her tightly, but because she was feeling a bit embarrassed at the sudden predicament he accidentally put her in.

Although tempted to move away, she noticed the smile on his sleeping face when she peeked at his face; he probably had a nice dream, and she believed it would be a shame to wake him up now. She didn't want to admit it, but his warmth was just what she needed at the moment. Besides, it didn't seem like he would be waking up anytime soon.

So, in the end, she gave up on his embrace; feeling the tension in his muscles, she assumed that he must have been beyond exhaustion from whatever place he had taken her from before. But at least he was relaxing now, so maybe she was right about not waking him up, which reminded her of something else she needed to do.

'Thank you for finally coming back to me.'