dreamcrystals | A Letter to Home

Entry tags:

A Letter to Home

Sender: Zack Fair
To: All
Subject: No Subject (Backdated to the first week)

[ Words that begin to appear in the journals are written slowly, as if with intent. The handwriting is... coherent at best at this slower pace, but every word is coming in gradually and seemingly with more frustration.

Guess who thinks this is just a plain ol' journal to use? ]

~~Dear Aeir~~
~~What's up!?~~
~~Hello! Hey th———~~

Hey Aerith.
Hope things are going ~~well??~~ good for you

[ UGH ]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to write back... I know youve been waiting a long time
I can't call right now but soon, okay?
~~how are the flowers?~~ you swimming in gil yet?
Theirs ~~theres~~ lots of weird stuff going on that I'll explain when I get back.
So... yeah. ~~See you soon~~
~~Regard~~ [ No that was SO STUPID ]
bye

[ The words at the bottom of the page are suddenly cut out, as if completely disregarded or tossed away.

But seconds later another one appears: ]

Hello!

[ Nope that one is gone, too. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Last year... the words stung a little in his chest. He couldn't say he was in the great situation a year ago, but just thinking that she was here, so close, and he still wasn't able to reach her— ]

A waitress, huh? Yeah, I could see her doing something like that. [ She was a social butterfly, and easy to talk to. Zack was certain she would do a great job.

He swallows. He's beating around the bush. So eventually, awkwardly, Zack will kick the ground beneath him before averting his gaze. ]

... She spoke about me?

Mm. [ ...Susato hums thoughtfully. He would be happy to know that she did do a great job, but for now, she just smiles. He wants to hear that she spoke of him, and luckily she doesn't have to lie. ] Well, I had to ask. She didn't say much, honestly. I got the feeling that she didn't want me to be sad...

But I saw your name on one of her dream petals.

[ ...Didn't want her to be sad. To be honest, he couldn't quite blame her, either. She liked to jump around in her conversations, and was never one to dwell on things for too long.

Always there to try to make you smile... ]

Sorry if it was a sore subject, then. It's... been awhile since we last spoke.

[ It feels like it's been a while for her, too. And if it feels that way for her, she can only imagine how it feels for him. Maybe she should be the one apologizing, but instead, there's just a brief silence between them.

... ]

"I wish for more time... with Zack."

[ The petals were small. She still remembers, though. ]

That's what it said. So as I understand it, she was still waiting for you. She told me you were a first-class soldier.

[ ...

The pain in his chest was incomprehensible. It tightened further as he would inhale, leaving shaky and rattled fits of air that would attempt to escape when he exhaled.

Guilt. Sadness. Remorse. All these emotions swelling deep inside of his core when he thinks back to that last letter. "The last one" she had claimed. She had sent so many throughout the years. Wishing... hoping he would come back. And even still while in a dream world, Aerith had continued to wait for him.

He wished so badly to go back and see her. ]

Yeah... I was. [ He answers simply, bringing a hand to his chest and clenching it over where his heart lied. He could feel the beating in his ears, and felt as though his heart would simply leap out of his chest. ]

I promised her I would see her soon... that I wouldn't take too long. [ A pause as magically somehow, someway, the fountain had stopped spraying water. ] But I wasn't able to keep my promise.

Edited 2023-03-22 20:11 (UTC)

[ When he clutches his chest, Susato feels a pang in her own out of sympathy. She doesn't know him well enough to determine whether she should offer comfort in some way or give him space, so sadly, she does neither. At least, not immediately. She keeps a watchful eye, and a hand reaches up, like she wants to touch his shoulder. ]

Something prevented you from returning, I take it.

[ How did she put it now...? ]

She told me... "life" happened?

[ "Life". As if what happened to him could be considered part of life.

Perhaps though, it was... for a 1st Class SOLIDER. Angeal, Genesis, and even Sephiroth had all been overcome by the weight of what Shinra had made them into. "Monsters" they liked to say.

That was what they considered him to be, and so that's how he was treated. No longer human, but something generated and mutated by foreign cells. ]

I— [ He began, attempting to push the lump in his throat back down. ] —I got hurt pretty bad. Really messed up. After awhile I was finally was able to try to head back... but by then it had already been four years since we last spoke.

[ If only he had been stronger...

If only he had been able to be the one to defeat Sephiroth... ]

[ Four years. Kazuma was alone for three in the Realm of Stories. Four years is a long time. Still, so long as he returned, she was sure their relationship could have been mended. Not knowing whether he was safe could not have been easy, however. ]

I don't... I can't speak for her, but I'd like to think she would understand.

[ It might take time, but Aerith seemed like the forgiving sort. ]

There is a special flower just for the occasion, after all, that she shared with me. A flower to symbolize the reunion between two lovers...

I'm sure she would have given you one.

[ He laments in her reply. How ironic it was for there to be flowers involved, especially when it had to do with her and his feelings towards her.

But he couldn't grieve about it, he shouldn't. There was only one thing to do, and that was to continue forward so that one day, hopefully soon... he could see her again to properly apologize. ]

Maybe you're right... [ He breathes before suddenly lurching his body forward as if he was attempting to touch his toes. He remains in that position for a moment before heaving out a loud breath, almost yelling it out and forcing the feelings he was experiencing to exhale along with it.

Suddenly he is straightening his body back up again with a stretch, pumping a balled fist together. ]

Well, just means I gotta get one from her in person, right? Who knows, maybe she's dreaming about me and will come back!

[ Susato tilts her head at the gesture, but he was already doing squats when she found him, so she can't be too terribly surprised. She does seem a little startled when he is suddenly pops back up, stretching casually as if it had been nothing; but she decides she likes that energy.

She grins. ]

I hope you get to see her again.

[ One way or another.

...... ]

Um... Are you hungry? I could show you where she worked.

Thanks a lot, Susato.

[ As strange as his mannerisms were, it did help to relieve the ball of stress that had been so tightly clenched to his chest.

He hated this feeling of helplessness, and was going to do everything he could to fight back against it. ]

Starving, actually! [ He pauses for a moment, considering, before nodding his head. ] Yeah. I'd like to see it.

[ Zack definitely strikes Susato as someone who is always hungry. She grins, giving him a polite nod in the direction where she would've originally came from. ]

Alright, then please follow me!

[ Hopefully her courteousness will make up for the rough start he had with the journal, though the less said about that, the better, she thinks. ]

We opened early last year, but Aerith only joined us in the summer.

[ He certainly carries himself like a protagonist, so it just kind of comes with the territory.

But with a nod we'll begin to follow alongside Susato, keeping his pace to match hers.

Zack can't blame her for the rocky introduction, she was just asking a question, after all. And the more they walked, the more he was able to focus on his breathing and calm himself down enough to push down all those previous negative feelings aside.

... It also wasn't the best first impression to be all sad in front of a girl he just met! ]

I see... sounds like you're running a pretty nifty place. Never thought about opening a business in another world.

Me either, if I'm honest...

[ The truth is, it hadn't been her idea; though she did freely encourage it and offered her help, so to this day, she likes to think she had a hand in the decision. She will lead the way, speaking freely: ]

Would you believe I was a judicial assistant? [ Do they have lawyers back on Midgar? ]

[ Of course there was something like that, though Zack never got anywhere near that line or work, much less questioned it. ]

Judicial assistant? That's some kind of court room gig, right?

[ She gives him a nod, looking at him with interest. She's moved away from it, though speaking about it again feels like it gives her life, like a flame being rekindled. ]

Yes. Though back home, I technically wasn't allowed in one.

It wasn't until I traveled overseas that I was able to listen to trials as they happened, take notes, and give advice.

Wait, what? Not allowed in? [ A pause, grateful that the conversation was shifting over to something else for the time being. ]

Why couldn't you do it where you're from?

Um... [ She hesitates for a little while longer. It really does sound more ridiculous every time she thinks about it. ] Because I was a woman.

We were forbidden, you see, unless we were the ones on trial.

...For what it is worth, it is something we were looking to change about our legal system... eventually.

[ His mouth hands opened slightly at her words before his face molds into pure disbelief. ]

Oh, c'mon! Exactly what kind of stone age did you come from? That's really messed up.

[ He huffs but at least manages to calm down following her first response. ]

Well... good. I bet you could've run circles around them, anyway!

[ She's actually invigorated by his apparent protest. There's an awkward chuckle, and a blush might be forming at her cheeks. She's still not certain whether she's earned that praise, especially considering how long it's been since she's even practiced law or assisted a lawyer, but...

She'll take it. ]

The 19th century, actually... Meiji era, in Tokyo, Japan. Have you ever heard of such a place?

[ He's... never heard of many of those words, so he says with full confidence: ]

Nope!

[ Yup. Always elegant. ]

But sounds like it was a long time ago... people just show up from any weird time here, don't they? Man, that's still gunna take a lot to get use to.

[ Very elegant! But Susato isn't surprised. She seems a little amused. ]

You will, in time. It has been fascinating to learn about all the different cultures and lifestyles here, and the technology that is to come!

[ She grins.

The chit-chat remains lighthearted, lifting their spirits, and before they know it, they arrive at the Harvest. ]

[ Lighthearted indeed. It nice how easy it was to carry on a conversation with Susato, and he was grateful for the distraction that initially brought the two of them together.

When they finally arrival at the Harvest, Zack can't help but allow his jaw to drop in the slightest at the scenery around him. Compared to Midgar, this place was crazy! ]

Wow... she must've loved it here. [ He breathes while taking in the surroundings, a bright yet weary smile dancing across his lips. ] This is a really nice place you've got!

Why, thank you... [ Susato really hopes she did. Her reaction was not unlike Zack's, one of wonder and amazement. It makes her smile, though ultimately, she doesn't know if it helped or hurt that it was closed and empty when Aerith first saw it.

There's a karaoke stage, and there are vines strung about decoratively with little yellow fruits that look like various phases of the moon hanging about. There may be the remnants of materials to build shelves, but otherwise, all is very tidy as you'd expect from a professional restaurant. Some paper cranes adorned with the number 1 remain from them celebrating their first anniversary.

On the wall behind the counter, there's March's menu. There is also a door with a sign that says "To the Garden." The sound of light waterfalls comes from beyond. ]

You're free to have a look around while I cook you a meal. Walking through the garden is rather scenic and popular...

I sometimes read in there.

Yeah, thanks. I'll do that. [ He confirms with a nod after having to peel his eyes away from all the decorations. It wasn't often he was never in something so elegant looking, and it was honestly quite beautiful.

The sounds of the waterfall are what catch his attention the most, so finally taking a step further into the room he'll head in that direction, giving a hand wave of thanks.

It doesn't take long for him to pass through and inside the garden area just outside, and the sight was breathtaking. Sure he had seen many a different sights traveling, but none so scenery as this. The peacefulness, along with the plants felt very reminiscent of... that place. The view stunned him to silence, and Zack stood at its entryway for a good moment soaking up the view. ]

Wow...

A Letter to Home

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