Two people with mutual affection
Zack ←affection→ Aerith
Drawn to each other from their first meeting
5 love stories in Final Fantasy
In Final Fantasy, the road of love is not always smooth, and this is very evident with Aerith and Zack. The time they spent together wasn't long, but it's clear that a very real emotional bond formed between them. When the two first met in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, they were instantly drawn to each other. The time they spent together wasn't long, but it's clear that a very real emotional bond formed between them.
Suddenly falling in love
When it comes to things related to Aerith, they mostly relate to Zack as well.
Fans who could only imagine it will surely be pleased that the story of Aerith "having a first love" in FF7 is depicted in CC.
[Nojima]: From the very beginning, we decided to combine it with the meeting with Cloud, who "fell into the church from above." They are both still too young to call it romance, and the game doesn't spend much time explaining "why they fell in love," so we made it look as if they met suddenly and fell in love. Personally, what made me happiest was being able to turn Aerith's line to Cloud in FF7, "go on one date with me," into a line from Zack. In FF7, it was meant to be a casual line, but precisely because of that, some people said Aerith was too casual, which bothered me a bit. I think having Aerith quote Zack's line serves as a defense for her.
A date once, connected to the OG
Meeting Aerith
In this game, the scene where Zack falls from the Sector 5 mako reactor into the slum church and meets Aerith is almost identical to the scene where Cloud meets Aerith in Final Fantasy VII. According to developer Mr. Nojima, this was intentionally created, and likewise Zack's "a date once" line is also connected to Aerith's "date me once" line to Cloud in Final Fantasy VII。
Zack gazes at Aerith, entranced
Bringing Aerith her first love
Like Cloud in FF7, SOLDIER member Zack falls from the church right before Aerith. Meeting him brings Aerith her first love.
A fateful encounter with Zack
A mysterious girl living in Midgar. While tending to flowers in a church in the slums, she has a fateful encounter with Zack。
Drawn to each other at first sight, reluctant to part when separated
Angels
A SOLDIER member descending from the sky, a fateful meeting on the ground
A girl's voice wakes Zack, who lies unconscious in the slum church.
A girl who loves flowers, named Aerith, pure as an angel。The moment they meet, they are drawn to each other. Zack promises her a date in exchange for her help. Walking around the slums with Aerith, he grows closer and closer to her.
But the duties of a SOLDIER member bring Zack back to reality. When Aerith sees him off at the exit leading to the upper plate, with a feeling of reluctance to part, he promises they will meet again.
Beings irreplaceable to each other
The girl who blooms like a flower in Zack's heart
An unfortunate girl living with her adoptive mother in the Sector 5 slums. She is pure and innocent, yet also gives off a mysterious air of seeing through everything. She has led a tumultuous life: hunted by Shinra as a Cetra, her father killed 20 days after her birth and she herself imprisoned in the Shinra Building, and losing her birth mother at age 7. Even so, her cheerful and upbeat words and actions give no hint of her tragic circumstances. After her fateful meeting with Zack, the two became beings irreplaceable to each other。
The two drawn to each other
A girl who was only 16 when she first appeared in CC. She lives growing flowers in the Sector 5 slums under Shinra's surveillance. One day by chance, she meets First Class SOLDIER member Zack, and the two are drawn to each other…
An irreplaceable being
The girl Aerith, met in the slum church. Her pure and wholehearted affection for Zack gradually makes her an irreplaceable being to him.
An atmosphere like lovers
She gently held the heartbroken Zack from behind. They seemed to have an atmosphere like a pair of lovers already……
A feeling similar to friendship
The girl said she was afraid of the sky. She said that when she looked up at the sky stretching far into a sea of stars, she felt as if she would be sucked in... That was why she lived in the slums covered by the plate. "It's not normal. It's strange," the girl said, lonely.
"Being normal is boring" — that was Zack's answer. Whether he truly thought so, who knows. He had already been caught up in more than enough unusual events. But he wanted to comfort her. He wanted so badly to smooth away the loneliness hidden behind the liveliness and cheerfulness of this unusual girl who had suddenly appeared, and bring her back to life.
The girl who helped Zack when he crashed from the plate into the church in the slums of Sector 5 — her name was Aerith. Her meeting with Zack, still bearing innocence in her gestures and expressions, was a mirror of another meeting that would take place years later on this flower-blooming land。
Yes. This meeting carried great meaning. Zack promised to show Aerith a beautiful sky that was not frightening, and suggested selling the flowers she raised on the upper levels of Midgar. Aerith responded to him, and projected her sky into the blue eyes of the soldier。Rather than calling it romance, it was a mutual attraction still too immature, a feeling similar to friendship... a seed like that. In a future they could not imagine, that faint seed of hope would sprout. It was a meeting before that tragedy, one that sparked the battle to save the planet —.
The more she learned, the more she was drawn in
The more she learned, the more Aerith was drawn to Zack. The way she imitated Zack was adorable too
The hair ribbon Zack gave carried over to Advent Children
In scene 04-09, Zack gave Aerith a pink ribbon as a "memento of their meeting". The ribbon was used in Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core together with the white Materia, her mother's memento. Also, those fighting in the Jenova battle in Advent Children, as well as Barret's daughter Marlene, all wore a pink ribbon somewhere on their bodies so as not to forget her.
Irreplaceable happy days
For Aerith, who was "not normal," her time with Zack was an irreplaceable, happy time. But the time the two spent together was short...
A platonic love
During a mission, Zack fell into the church in the Sector 5 slums, and there he had a fated encounter with Aerith, a girl who raised flowers in the church. Just being together was enough, a platonic love. It seemed those happy days would never end...
Their relationship was like lovers', and Zack's heart raced
One day, Zack suddenly fell into the church in the slums. Cheerful and dependable, he captured Aerith's heart at once，and the two got along as if they were lovers. The reason she didn't email Zack was that she didn't have a phone.
Faced with Aerith's very straightforward show of affection, Zack too felt his heart race。
The two, with a wonderful atmosphere between them
Leaving the street, they arrived at a paradise for children — the green park in the Sector 6 slums. The atmosphere between Zack and Aerith was wonderful……
A promise to see the real sky
Aerith, who feared the sky in the slums where the sky was hidden — but Zack's sky-blue eyes reflected the light of freedom, and he made a promise to take her to see the real sky.
The bashful Zack
Zack gives Aerith perfume as a gift
【Zack】: Here, Aerith, give it a try. It's a gift for you
【Aerith】: I'm so happy. Wow, perfume, let me try it!
Wow, it smells so good. Thank you so much, Zack
【Zack】: Oh, do you like it that much?
【Aerith】: Yeah, I can hardly bear to use it
Zack scratches his head shyly.
【Zack】: Really? Well, use it however you like
The promise of Aerith's pink outfit
Before departing for Nibelheim, Zack asked Aerith to wear a pink outfit the next time they met. This promise led Aerith to change into her familiar Final Fantasy VII outfit.
The number of wishes
—The scene in the latter half of the story where Aerith tells Zack about her 23 little wishes is really nice
【Nojima】: It's nice, isn't it? Doing something like that must be fun (laughs). Speaking of Aerith's 23 wishes, if there had only been about 10, Zack probably could have remembered them, so 23 was chosen as a number Zack couldn't remember.
Opening the door to a new world for Aerith
Aerith's hobby is growing flowers, but in the steel-plated slums, flowers rarely bloom. She dreamed of filling the slums with flowers—and for her, who held this dream, Zack suggested selling the flowers she grew, so that flowers would bloom not only in the slums but throughout all of Midgar. This plan, called "Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money,"opened the door to a new world for Aerith。
Through her meeting with Zack, she came to know the joy of giving flowers
Aerith, who inherited the blood of the Cetra, can read the feelings of flowers and can make even barren land like Midgar bloom. In this game, she is depicted as gradually coming to feel the joy of selling flowers through her meeting with Zack (or rather, closer to the joy of giving flowers to others than monetary gain）. It was probably because of this experience that Aerith continued selling flowers in Final Fantasy VII.
Also, she has a personality that shows no mercy to those who destroy flower fields. Zack in this game, as well as Reno in Final Fantasy VII and Shera and Fuhito of AVALANCHE in Before Crisis, among others, have all been on the receiving end of her anger.
The occasion for Aerith selling flowers
In the story of Crisis Core, Aerith's interactions with Zack became the occasion for her later becoming a flower girl. The flower girl's flower basket is also included as an optional accessory.
Happy times making the flower cart
The happy times surrounded by flowers never return, as fate cruelly separates them
Zack, worried about Aerith, rushed to the slum church, but was attacked by a Shinra mechanical weapon keeping watch in the area, and he was protected by a dog-type Angeal copy. Zack thought that since the copy could still move, Angeal might still be alive. With the Genesis Army's movements, it was only a matter of time before Zack was sent to the battlefield. Deciding to help Aerith, he set about building the promised flower cart. He struggled through the unfamiliar work, but the two were happy to spend such happy times together. However, when he was called away on a mission, Aerith handed him a paper with 23 little wishes written on it.
Running all over Midgar to see her smile one more time
The fleeting calm of Midgar
Zack tries to fulfill his promise to Aerith. To show the girl who feared being pulled up into the sky the wonder of the endless blue sky so she would no longer be afraid, he suggested they go into the city together to sell the flowers she grew. He would fill the mako city, where nothing grows atop the plate, with Aerith's flowers.
As the first step, Zack built a small cart. A flower cart loaded with blooming flowers, a perfect match for Aerith. All sorts of people in Midgar lent a hand. Even the slum residents who shunned Shinra for driving out the weak were willing to help Zack. They may not have known the full situation, but they could feel that Zack, this young man, was a friend so beloved that people were convinced by him.
And so, Zack completed the making of the magnificent cart. However, there was still a little time left before he departed on his mission. He could have built an even better cart to make Aerith happy. It could also have been left for next time.
No, there was no choice. If he missed this chance, there would be no next time. Because—
Because the place where Zack was to go on his new mission was called Nibelheim……
If he had eyes that could see through fate, he would never have missed that moment. Even if he couldn't fulfill all his promises, he should have run all over Midgar to see her smile one more time—yes, that is what he should have done.
A final farewell in Midgar, his second hometown that he had struggled to protect.
Every day spent here is deeply engraved in his heart……
The broken flower cart
Kunsel:
How is your mission going?
This job is taking longer than I expected.
I thought I'd be the one looking after Aerith for you, but somehow the Turks are looking after her too.
She says the flower wagon's wheel came off and it can't be used. I said it could be fixed, but she refused. She said she wants Zack to fix it。
So hurry up and come back.
89 Letters
① A note filled with the desire to be with Zack more
The long imprisonment left Zack's body in ever-worsening condition, and the repeated experiments on Cloud turned him into a person suffering from severe mako poisoning.
When he realized he knew too much, that his existence had already been erased in public, and that if he were found alive he would be killed immediately, Zack, at a loss for what to do, noticed a note that Aerith had once given him, on it filled with her wholehearted wish to be with Zack more。Moved by it, Zack fled toward Midgar with the helpless Cloud。
② The motivation to return to Midgar was his feelings for Aerith
The wishes of the warriors, her thoughts
Angeal's soul had been protecting Zack through the copies all along. Zack was deeply moved at seeing the final moments of Lazard and Angeal's copy, and was startled when he saw a letter carried by the Angeal copy. The one who wrote it was Aerith.
"Four years have passed since then. And this is the 89th letter."
Four years had passed since he left Midgar—upon learning this shocking fact, Zack, driven by his feelings for Aerith, departed, carrying the unconscious Cloud with him.
③ Where the letters went
—Even so, Aerith is so strong. To think she had been sending letters for four years
【Imaizumi】: The line in the letter about the "xx-th letter" had already been recorded at the very beginning, but since it was used in the shocking scene where Zack learns what the present date is, we made some adjustments and had the voice actor re-record that part.
[Nomura]: We also adjusted how the letters were delivered. At first I had all the letters delivered by the Angelos copy in the shape of a dog at the church, but I felt it would be too pitiful to make him carry dozens of letters, since his body was already on the verge of falling apart from degradation (laughs). So it was decided that only the last letter would be entrusted to the Angelos copy, but before that, the deliveries had always been handled by the 。
Aerith's letters
These are letters Aerith wrote to Zack, who went missing after the Nibelheim incident. She wrote 89 letters over 4 years, of which 88 were kept by , and the last one was entrusted to the Angeal Copy living in the church.
An important woman
In Zack's place, since he never returned from Nibelheim, he looked after the important woman, Aerith. This letter carries Tseng's deep friendship. As her guardian, Tseng kept watching over Aerith in keeping his promise with Zack. Also, in FF7, the reason Aerith sold flowers from a basket instead of a cart was that her cart had broken, and she didn't want anyone other than Zack to fix it。
Aerith was the only one who was special
In Chapters 01–04, Zack is a lover of women—told "you shouldn't always be looking at emails from girls" and described by Aerith in FF7 as "a guy who loves girls." When fleeing the Shinra army after the Nibelheim incident, Zack himself told Cloud that he had several girlfriends in Midgar who might be willing to shelter him. In fact, in this game, he hits on Cissnei, a receptionist, and a Turk lady he first met in BC.
However, Aerith seems to have been the only one who was special to him; he wrote to his parents' home telling them about her (Aerith).
An ordinary girl's love
Q: Do you think the Aerith you played in the previous titles differs from the Aerith in this game?
[Maaya Sakamoto]: I feel this work has more lines than ever expressing her innocent, carefree personality. There are all sorts of playful scenes, so I recorded them with anticipation. In FF7: Advent Children, I strongly felt Aerith's mystique and maternal nature, while in FF7: Crisis Core, an ordinary girl's love is depicted, which makes her feel more approachable. This time, after overcoming so many hardships, she becomes stronger—so as not to be defeated by fate, I performed her as cheerful and full of energy.
The nonexistent choice between Cissnei and Aerith
Q: Is there any depiction of Zack wavering between Aerith and Cissnei？
Nojima: No, I don't think so. I chose Cissnei as a character who could encourage Zack, who had become somewhat dispirited after going through various events, telling him "you are not alone." Cissnei herself feels loneliness and suffers from putting missions first, but even in such times she never forgets how to view things with kindness and gentleness. In the story, she is someone who kills (laughs), while Aerith, who handles the story's gentler side, has never left the slums, so I portrayed her as a character who moves about freely and offers gentle words.
The love triangle of Zack, Aerith, and Tseng
Tseng, watching over Aerith and never leaving her side. A complex love triangle around Aerith unfolds?
The water's surface reflecting the blue sky
In Chapter 09-02, there is a scene where Zack stands on the water's surface, gazing up at white feathers drifting in the blue sky. When asked about the intent behind this scene's direction, the developers answered: "Zack inherited Angeal's will, yet he couldn't save anyone and was trapped in Nibelheim, which left him feeling despair and helplessness. When Angeal rebuked him for this unbearable state, Zack resolved to pull himself together. That resolve is embodied in the mental landscape at the start of Chapter 9.
The blue sky symbolizes Zack， the white feathers symbolize Angeal， and the water's surface symbolizes Aerith。
Like the blue sky used as a symbol in CC, it represents Zack as the ideal First-Class SOLDIER of FF7. It is the image of Zack at his best, in his perfect state. From another angle, it also symbolizes ideals, goals, and dreams.
The "white feathers" are a symbol of Angeal, and of "wings." Angeal's wings are wings that stretch across the blue sky—an image suggesting that for Angeal to reach his heights and dreams, he must overcome many hardships.
The "water's surface" reflecting the "blue sky" symbolizes Aerith. Since Aerith hearing the voice of the Planet is interpreted as her entering the Lifestream, the image of Aerith's consciousness passing through the water's surface evokes the Lifestream. Alternatively, it is itself a symbol of the Lifestream—the will of the Planet.
Through these three connections, it hints at the entire story.
Aerith connected to Zack as much as possible
—Besides the phrase "a single date," the parts about selling flowers in the slums and wearing a ribbon were also influenced by Zack, right.
【Nojima】: I wanted to connect as many of Aerith's traits in FF7 to Zack as possible. I also tried to include as many lines and scenes inspired by FF7 as I could. The opening where Zack appears on a train is one example; I think including many familiar scenes can stimulate players' desire to "play FF7."
Zack, positive, gentle, and pure-hearted
This lively Zack gives the impression of being very positive and gentle toward romance, yet at times surprisingly pure-hearted。
Zack, who experienced love
Friendship, love, and betrayal—
The protagonist who grew through all kinds of experiences
The time the two shared together
Met Aerith in April 0001. On September 22, 0002, Zack went to Nibelheim.
From their first meeting to their parting, one year and five months passed
FF7CC completion celebration illustration
Contents of the novel 《Dear Destiny》
The novel is a supplementary work published after RB that fills in the characters' pasts.
The parts centered on Aerith mainly tell the story of her from ages 16 to 18.
① Aerith in love
"Being in love is really so much fun. It's like having a split personality. You know what I mean, right?"
"Huh?"
"Because, that goes for you too, Aerith, right? See, sometimes you sneak a little laugh, and sometimes you just space out."
Giggling? Spacing out?
"Do I?"
“The staff members are all saying it. That Aerith Gainsborough has fallen in love。”
"Whaaat!?"
That night, Aerith tossed and turned in bed, going over and over the person she had been since meeting Zack.
In the days they couldn't meet her longing kept piling up, and just picturing the moment they'd see each other again made the corners of her mouth turn up on their own. She thought about what she should talk about, and daydreamed about where they should go.
"Uwaa, u—waa!" She buried her face in the pillow and couldn't help crying out.
Zack would often come to visit the church. Sometimes he came day after day, sometimes with several days in between. The time they spent together was always short and hurried. After seeing him off, she would start looking forward to the next time. Will I get to see him today? She spent the days they couldn't meet clinging to that hope, and the hopes that came to nothing gradually turned into restlessness. She thought that next time they met, she would let all of it out on him. She imagined what that moment would look like.
Zack would probably accept it all without complaint, and apologize with a smile.
But these emotional ups and downs always vanished the instant she saw Zack. His words would pour out like flowing water, making Aerith laugh and leaving her impressed. Even when he teased her, she couldn't get angry. And so, she became greedier and greedier. She couldn't help imagining Zack saying "Well, see you later" and turning to leave. Even with him right there before her eyes, so happy, so joyful, in a corner of her laughing heart sat the lonely self, hugging her knees, dreading the end of the day, muttering quietly, "Notice it, please."
"Me, I was that kind of person, it turns out. Back then, I was always afraid. Zack changed me. Even the way the world looked changed. Well, saying that might be a bit of an exaggeration!"
② Telling her adoptive mother that she had someone she liked
About a month after meeting Zack. Aerith and her adoptive mother Elmyra were having dinner together, just the two of them. It was chili bean stew that a neighbor had shared with them, very popular in the Sector 7 slums. Simple, and delicious. Had Zack ever eaten this? Had he ever been to Sector 7? She moved her chopsticks while thinking about such things.
Sensing a gaze, she looked up to find Elmyra watching her with a worried face.
"Hm?"
"Lately the house has felt strangely quiet—it turns out it's you who has gone quiet. You always look like you're thinking about something. What's going on?"
Aerith didn't know how to bring it up. But ever since Tsubaki had asked her, there was something she couldn't stop dwelling on. She wanted to hear the opinion of someone other than Tsubaki. What about Elmyra? She was an adult; surely she had plenty of experience. The problem was, she hadn't yet told her anything about Zack.
"I'm not going to force you to talk. But this past month, you've always seemed absent-minded. Is something bothering you?"
Seeing Elmyra's worried face, Aerith felt a pang in her heart. Surely this wasn't something that needed to be hidden.
"Well, you see, I have someone I like."
Elmyra was briefly taken aback, then smiled.
"Is that so? My, I see. So that's what it is. And then? What kind of person is he?"
"His name is Zack. What kind of person he is... Hmm, a very energetic person."
Elmyra let out a little laugh.
"He's funny to talk to, and he knows so many things I don't."
"That must be nice, then. Is he older than you?"
"Probably, older than me, I think."
"What does he do? He has a job, I take it?"
"The militia."
"The one in Sector 5?"
"He said it's Sector 3!"
"What's his specialty? A volunteer?"
"Um, I didn't ask."
The lies came out with surprising ease.
③ They met in order to fill each other's void—a fated meeting
On the day they met, Zack said this. The lonely look on his face that showed for an instant—Aerith still remembers it to this day. Loneliness is like a hollow at the bottom of the heart, one that can swiftly swallow up even happy memories and moments of bliss. The two of them surely met in order to fill each other's void。
Her meeting with Zack, surely it was fate after all. Aerith nodded quietly.
④ Writing letters every day
Letters to Zack, she wrote almost every night. From among them, she picked out only the ones she wouldn't feel embarrassed to read the next morning, put them in envelopes, and entrusted them to the Turks.
⑤ Complete collection of Aerith's letters
How are you?
I'm doing well.
Today, I turned 18.
Congratulations, me.
I'm an adult now.
I should be, anyway.
Zack must be 19 now?
Or is he still 18?
I don't know Zack's birthday.
Tell me next time, okay?
It's been about five months since then.
I miss you.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
Those irreplaceable days I spent with you.
A love that belonged to special us, yet was so ordinary.
I think our meeting must have been fate.
But, thinking about fate hurts.
Zack, let me hear your voice.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
Today, I made risotto with cogna mushrooms.
But I didn't know that dried mushrooms need to be soaked in water to soften them.
A total failure.
Mom laughed so hard.
Hmm.
Hey, Zack, did you used to eat cogna mushrooms often?
How did you eat them?
Tell me next time.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
Today I was selling flowers at the park again.
The same park where we sold flowers together.
Something funny and a little frustrating happened there.
But it's kind of laughable. Next time, I'll tell you about it.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
Starting today, I've been selling flowers near the station in the Sector 5 slums.
I rented a small, old, but adorable little house.
My regulars from the park came too.
But the flowers were already sold out, and I let them down.
Tomorrow I'll make sure that doesn't happen.
The plan to fill Midgar with flowers and wallets with money is underway!
Are you doing okay?
I'm doing fine.
Today, I helped someone who had fallen down.
I helped him up, and watched him walk away.
I found myself wondering: if he had asked me to walk him home, or lend him money, or buy him a meal, how far would I have gone?
I thought about it. It's hard.
Pssh (the sound of steam escaping in my head).
But you know, if the same thing happened again, I'd probably make the same choice.
Not out of kindness, or sympathy, or meddling—it's by some feeling that doesn't yet have a name.
To do what I can do.
Huh? Just now, the word "atonement" floated into my mind.
What sin do I have to atone for?
Are you doing okay?
I'm doing fine.
And, the flower shop's business is getting better and better!
While Zack is away, the slums just might end up filled with flowers.
(And with wallets, too.)
If you happen to pass by, let me see your face.
Let me hear your voice.
Are you doing okay?
I'm doing fine.
Today, believe it or not, I sold out of all my flowers by morning!
The big brother at the sweets shop bought every last one of them.
He treated me to a sweet, fluffy cake,
and we chatted about lots of things in his shop.
He asked me, "Do you have someone you like?"
I answered, "I do." And he smiled and said, "That was a quick answer."
That's the kind of day it was.
Well then, talk to you next time.
Every time, it always starts with "Are you doing okay? I'm doing fine"—but it's more like a charm, and it really has little to do with whether Zack is actually well, or whether I actually am. I just want to believe you're okay, and I hope I can stay "okay" myself. But today, I couldn't help thinking about it. Thinking about the possibility that Zack might "not be okay." When I imagine what it would be like if Zack weren't okay, it hurts. And not only that—if he is okay, but still can't be reached, the reason for that is just as painful. What am I supposed to do with this feeling?
He must have meant to tell me that Zack is alive and well. That has to be it. And he wanted me to think about why, though safe, there's been no word from him.
I've thought about this countless times already. I just don't want to admit it. If it's really over, I only want to hear you say it yourself.
Ending like this, without a clear answer—it doesn't make sense. Just writing it down hurts.
It must be because I love Zack. All the happy things, I remember them all. All the joyful things, I remember those too. Does time really turn everything into beautiful memories?
Ah, after all, I still feel like I may never see you again.
Are you doing okay?
There's a place for Zack in my heart.
Zack has a place to belong there.
Every day, I meet different people and learn different things.
Even so, that place is still Zack's.
Is there a place for me in Zack's heart?
Are you doing okay?
Today, someone asked me if Zack and I had broken up.
I answered that we simply hadn't seen each other for a while.
But, there was no tight, clenching feeling in my chest.
No sense of pain.
I only felt lonely.
My feelings are slowly changing.
What will the future be like, I wonder.
Are you doing okay?
Zack, listen to me. I feel like I've grown stronger. Toward the people, monsters, and things that want to hurt me, I've begun to have the courage to face them myself. Not running away, but choosing to face them.
I realized that I can help people.
With my staff, materia, and magic.
And, courage.
I was surprised to find such a change in myself.
Hey, Zack.
That confident face you sometimes show. And that smug face I love, yet find a little annoying when I look back on it.
Maybe right now, I'm making that same expression.
Want to see it? If you want to…
Are you doing okay.
I'm doing fine.
Today, Mom told me that what binds me is myself.
From her point of view, that's what I was like, apparently.
She's said before, too, that I go in circles in the same place every day.
That's because, I believed that by doing that, I could see Zack again.
As long as I stayed in places that held meaning for me, in those "special places," I could see Zack again.
But—
Are you doing okay.
I'm doing fine.
No matter how many coincidences are strung together, they're still coincidences—they don't connect into fate.
It was fate that bound me.
Just as Conrad bound Adrea in the name of fate.
I bound myself.
Are you doing okay.
I'm doing fine.
Mom says there's no such thing as fate at all.
This world must be full of beautiful coincidences.
Are you doing okay?
All sorts of things have happened these past few days.
All kinds of coincidences, as if they'd bunched together, came rushing at me.
Ugh, I'm exhausted.
Today, I vented to Angal quite a bit.
And then I felt so much refreshed!
Hey—Zack Fair.
Surely, you're in a situation where you can't make contact.
Getting a letter like this in a place like that must be a burden, right?
I'm sorry.
It's almost been a year.
I miss you so much.
Are you doing okay?
Lately, every day has been so joyful.
The children's smiles, the neighbors' smiles, Mom's smile—all of them make me happy.
These feelings of mine, winding this way and that, must surely turn into someone else's happiness too.
I'm sure that's how it is. My joy is carried through the flowers to the Planet, the Planet is glad, and that joy makes the people living on the Planet happy.
This might be something unique in the whole world, something only special me can do.
If that's the case!
Zack.
I don't have time to mope about not being able to see you!
…Just kidding.
It's been a year since the last time we met.
Where are you?
I really hope this letter reaches your hands.
Are you doing okay?
Listen, Zack.
Someone invited me to sell flowers up in Midgar's upper levels.
And, on the very same day, completely different people made the invitation, one after another.
I love seeing everyone's hearts grow warm because of the flowers.
So, selling flowers up top—I don't dislike it at all.
But, I just can't bring myself to say "yes, let's do it"… Somehow, I feel a little scared.
What's going on with me, I wonder.
⑥ The motivation for making the flower cart was to spend a little more time with Zack
The flower-selling cart she'd kept talking about was finally getting seriously built. Zack was always busy. Every time the phone rang, it felt like his back was about to slip away into the distance. For Aerith, her attachment to the flower cart was less a dream of selling flowers than a small wish to hold on to her time with him. Even just a little more time together—that feeling became the driving force for making the cart.
⑦ Aerith notices the feelings Zack cannot bring himself to say
“But it's a monster, after all. I'm worried. If anything happens, call the Turks, okay? I'll give them a heads-up too. I have some connections, you know!”
“You worry about me that much?”
“Of course I do! Aerith is one of a kind in this world. She's special.”
At those words, Aerith was startled. She had never told Zack that she was the last of the Cetra, a descendant of the Ancients. But come to think of it, it wouldn't be strange if he knew. After all, he was a member of Shinra.
“You knew?”
“Knew?”
Zack looked confused. “Oh, about the Cetra thing. Yeah, I've heard about it. But that's not what I meant—”
Zack fell silent mid-sentence. Words left unspoken, his eyes wandering. Nothing like his usual self. And then, Aerith realized. That unsteady gaze of his, the words circling at his lips. Could that be... about his feelings for me? One of a kind in this world. A special existence. Not for Shinra's sake, not for the world's sake—if it meant to Zack. The moment she understood, joy and shyness surged up at once, and she couldn't help but look away.
Then, saying nothing, the two walked the rest of the way. That silence was comforting, and deep in her heart, it was as if a small bell kept ringing.
⑧ Aerith wants to fix the flower cart with Zack
If I'm going to be selling this many flowers from now on, I'll have to think of an easier way to carry them.
(A cart would do it!)
Maybe I should fix that broken cart. I could probably fix it myself. If I can't, I could ask someone for help. Elmyra probably knows someone who's good at that sort of thing.
(Huh!?)
That cart had been left there all along so that Zack could repair it. I'd meant to fix it together with him. And yet now, as if I'd just thought of some great idea, I'm weighing whether to just fix it myself.
(I don't want that...)
For the first time, Aerith clearly became aware of the feeling that Zack was being peeled away from her heart, and it left her flustered.
(Anything but that...)
⑨ Aerith gets jealous
“Actually, I'm pretty popular with the girls, you know.”
“Hmph—is that so.”
“Jealous?”
“Did you say that just to make me jealous on purpose?”
“That's not what I meant.”
“I am jealous. I hate myself for it. I feel lonely, and I've become sad.”
“It's that serious?! I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry.”
⑩ Aerith likes Zack
If the woman before him was a descendant of the Cetra, watched not only by the Gainsborough family but even by the Turks of Shinra—what would Conrad think if he knew? And what would he think if he knew that the one she loved was a Shinra SOLDIER carrying a huge sword?
The moment to confess had already passed. The facts left unsaid, the lies and concealments kept piling up, and from now on she would have to go on living with secrets in her heart. The only person she could tell everything to, without hiding a thing, was Zack.
⑪ The only one she could reunite with is Zack
A reunion—it could only be with Zack. She could not think of anything else.
⑫ If Zack were to degrade, Aerith wants to protect him
(Rather than seeking Shinra's help, Conrad bound the object of his affection, who had degraded, inside his home.)
Professor Hojo's face flashed through her mind. That madman who saw other people only as research material or tools for himself. The one responsible for destroying her mother. If it were Hojo, there was no cruelty he wouldn't commit.
“I see—”
Aerith understood Conrad's feelings very well.
“Is there... no cure?”
“All we can do is slow the progression. That's as far as the medicine goes. As for anything else—well, there are rumors of treatments, hard to say whether they're true or not. Supposedly someone was cured that way, but it's only a rumor.”
She couldn't help thinking of Zack again.
“So, I'd like you not to tell anyone that Adelia is here.”
“All right, I understand.”
If Zack were to become like that too, she might well make the same choice Conrad did.
(If Zack were to become like that—)
She could no longer hide her turmoil.
“Sorry, I'll come again another day.”
⑬ Aerith fears that after Zack's degradation they won't recognize each other
Having barely managed to say those words, Aerith rushed out of Linden Hall.
Aerith ran desperately.
(Zack has degraded too, and there's no going back—)
She couldn't dispel that image. Those people in black cloaks she had seen before. Could Zack be among them? Had she already brushed past him without realizing it?
No! Because, if it were Zack, she would know it.
And, Zack would surely know too. He would recognize me.
(Even if... he had degraded?)
Aerith stopped in her tracks and crouched down weakly. She couldn't breathe properly. Her heart was in chaos, pounding wildly. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Think of Zack's smile.
Think of something happy, Aerith—
(Bad imaginings summon bad memories.)
The voice of Ifalna, heard in her childhood, awakened within her.
(So think of something happy. That feeling will reach the Planet. And the Planet will become happy too.)
(Mom, I can't.)
Despite herself, she imagined Zack walking with a black hood pulled deep over his head, his eyes hollow.
(No! He hasn't degraded!)
But if so, then everything made sense. Zack no longer understood anything. Not who he was, not who I was. That's why he hadn't contacted me. That's why he hadn't come to see me. And the Turks wouldn't tell her anything either.
(He knew everything before. There's no way he wouldn't know!)
With anger, her consciousness suddenly sharpened. Aerith slowly rose to her feet.
⑭ Sharing memories of Zack with someone else
On the way back from Linden Hall, Aerith quietly wiped away her tears as she walked. Was it sadness, or joy? She couldn't tell. She was glad to be able to share memories of Zack with someone else. And it made her sad that that same Zack had been out of reach for so long.
⑮ Aerith's boyfriend
"Hey, what about that person? Aerith's boyfriend!"
"...Mm."
Aerith was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Huh? Don't tell me—you've broken up?"
She couldn't brush it off.
"It's not that. It's just... we haven't seen each other for a while."
⑯ What motivated Aerith to write letters
Maybe I'll write about that man who was peeping into the yard. Just in case, I should note down what he looked like. No wait—writing about that would worry Zack. I should write something more positive, something that would cheer him up when he reads it.
(What's wrong with me?)
Letters to Zack were like a diary. But once she thought of them as a diary, she couldn't write at all.
She wanted to tell Zack, wanted him to listen, wanted his approval, wanted to make him laugh, wanted to make him happy. That was what kept her writing.
⑰ Aerith's understanding of Zack
"That is their fate. Think of it that way, and come to terms with it."
"You sound just like my mother."
"When I look at you, such words just come out. You are special. Even if you long for an ordinary life, it can never be. Be aware that you are special, and take pride in it. Just like Zack."
"You don't know the first thing about Zack."
Leaving behind the words "excuse me," she walked away.
The truth is, I don't really know him that well either. I thought we understood each other, that our hearts were connected. Looking back now, that certainty feels like something from long, long ago—over in an instant.
"That's not true at all!"
Though she tried to shout it out, it only made her feel more lonely.
⑱ Her fear of selling flowers in the upper city was fear of not seeing Zack
"Honestly, we don't have to go to the upper city. We could get by selling flowers only in the slums. It seems I've become a bit greedy."
"Selling flowers in the upper city and earning money—I don't hate that. I don't think you're greedy, Mom."
"But somehow, I feel a little scared. What could it be? I don't understand it myself."
"If it's about that, I can take a guess."
"Really?"
"Guided by fate, you go to the upper city carrying flowers whose language means 'reunion,' yet you cannot see Zack. Isn't that what you're afraid of?"
"Ah..."
The hand gently patting Elmyra's back stopped. The words slowly sank into her heart.
"Do you always keep imagining the worst about Zack?"
"That's not true."
"I'm glad if it isn't."
"It's nothing like that."
She had been seen through. But she didn't want to admit it. Once she admitted it, it felt like it would become reality. She knew how silly the thought was, and yet—ah, it still had hold of her.
Tweets from various countries
A mysterious girl living in the slums of Sector 5. Aerith and Zack's first fateful encounter took place while she was tending flowers in the slum church.
