𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝖮𝖿 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍

8: Regrets.

I arrived back to our sector in 20 minutes. Now I just had to walk through slums to get home. I had so much to think about, especially about that guy named Cloud. 

Why did he grab his head as if he recalled some sort of trauma? It was as soon as he saw my eyes..

"Yui!" I heard a familiar voice calling out to me from the distance. It belonged to no one else than my most favorite person in the entire world - Aerith.

I felt my face light up as soon as I saw her with Zack beside her, who was waving at me with a grin.

"We finally meet again." said Zack as he pulled me and Aerith to him, "You travel a lot nowadays, care to tell us what's good on the other side?" said Zack playfully.

I chuckled at how curious they both got, "I made new friends there.. Everyone seemed to appreciate my effort to make their sector colorful, too." 

Aerith gasped, "I get you, but don't ditch us, okay? Especially me." she said with a hint of worry in her voice, "Don't worry, you are my most favorite person I come home to." 

Her worries melted away with my reassurance. Zack only chuckled at the sister's love we were now sending to each other, "We were just going for a picnic to the church, you are welcomed to come with us." Zack offered.

"Gladly. I have nothing better to do anyway, and I'm hungry, too, so I hope you are bringing some big feast in that tiny basket you're holding." I looked at Aerith's picnic basket. It was surely meant for only them which I understand, but I know I wasn't a bother to them.

"And I think you need a change of clothes.. You're covered in mud." Aerith mentioned which made me look at myself.

"Do you want to make a stop at home by any chance?" I said with a grin.

They both smiled with a nod. 

And just like that, we went home to mom who was shocked to see those 2 back home so early, but we explained the situation to her which made her laugh out. We repacked originally Aerith's and Zack's picnic basket and made much bigger feast for the 3 of us. We offered our mom to come with us, but she declined, saying she was going for the tea party to the kindergarten. She had many friends there, so she was also going to be out.

We made our way to the church. The place itself was filled with the mixed scents of many flowers. The air was fresh and it was a joy to look at this once shabby church.

We were sitting, laughing and chatting. The air was filled with a good mood and atmosphere. It was so comfortable to talk about things with those two. They were understanding, caring and gave me advices.

"No way! She thought you were a thief? Of all people, you and a thief?" Zack said unbelievably, "Yeah! And that's how I met Marle... It's crazy how life made us meet like this." I chuckled.

"You also said you've met a new friend! Who was that?" Aerith asked curiously, "Oh, her name is Tifa and she is honestly so cool and so nice. And... She is also very energetic. She keeps mentioning her crush Cloud all the time to me and Marle but-"

"Cloud?" Zack interrupted me which made me stop in my original sentence.

Both me and Aerith looked at him, "Yeah.. Cloud Strife." I confirmed to him. 

His facial expression saddened at the sound of his name, "What's wrong, Zack?" Aerith asked him worriedly. He looked at me more sharply, "I know him.. too well. We used to be really close friends. He was more like a little brother to me.." he explained.

I felt my mind travel to the distant past that happened at least 6 years ago. I was getting another vision of when I saved Zack. In this vision, I saw him leaned on the rocks, quite near to where Zack was laying. He was there - Cloud.  

"Yui.. Yui!" I heard Aerith and Zack call out to me.

And when I got back to my senses, Aerith was shaking with me. Both Zack and her were wearing worried expression.

"Yui, what the hell? Are you alright?" Zack said with a worry all over his face, "What was that?" said panicked Aerith.

"Huh?" I said, not understanding what they meant.

Zack sighed, "Don't 'huh' us, your eyes glowed brightly and it was visible that even though you were here physically, you weren't with us mentally.." he explained.

I nodded in acknowledgement as I was trying to take a hold of myself first.

"It actually happened to me earlier today as well." I said which made them widen their eyes in shock, "You mean when you were out in sector 7?" asked Aerith with a heavy heart. I nodded.

Zack kept watching me intently, "Is it because of your materia?" he wondered, "No, it's because she has changed a destiny of a person." Aerith said which made us all quiet down.

The heavy atmosphere of Zack's guilt now suddenly lingered in the air, "I hope you don't regret being here with us now." I looked at Zack with furrowed eyebrows.

He only snickered, "I don't regret this. I just think.. that I might have made things a lot more complicated for you." 

I felt saddened at his exclamation. I also didn't regret my choice of saving him. It was a right thing to do. 

Or was it a selfish wish because I knew how much Aerith loves Zack?