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"Guess who?"
Aerith put her hands over Tifa's eyes from behind as she wiped the counter. It was finally closing time, and everyone else was gone.
"Oh, Aerith, you're back!" Tifa stood up, spinning around to greet her with a hug. Aerith was taken aback, but accepted it. "What's with the hug?" She asked, taking Tifa by her forearms. "It's nothing. Just feel like you haven't been around much."
Aerith's face lit up, grabbing Tifa's hands. "Well you're in luck. C'mon, I wanna take you somewhere!" Suddenly, she was dragging Tifa out of the door without waiting for her approval.
"I- A-Aerith, I haven't closed the bar yet!"
"You can do that later!"
And so, the two travel peacefully through Sector 6, hand in hand. Tifa feels the need to ask where Aerith is taking her, but resists. Something about her gave Tifa a sense of trust in her that she's never found in anybody, even after Cloud's return. The vulnerability she felt around her was...peaceful.
Aerith slowed her steps infront of a gated area, seemingly ruined. Tifa examined the space. There was a swing set and a large moogle slide, both surrounded by dirt and vines.
"Tifa." Aerith was seated at the top of the moogle slide with her knees to her chest. Tifa made her way up and sat next to her.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
Aerith’s voice was soft, almost playful, but there was something serious in her eyes. "No." Aerith gave a tired chuckle and drew lazy circles over the worn metal under them. "I mean, why would you." Tifa's breath caught, throat tightening. "Aerith.." She shook her head and sighed. "I wanted to talk about..."
"Zack. I think about him every time I pass through Sector 6." Tifa stayed quiet listening intently. "I spent so much time having hope that I would see him again.
"I waited," Aerith continued, her fingers tightening slightly around her knees. "For so long. I told myself he’d come back, that everything would go back to how it was. But he never did. And when Cloud showed up… part of me wanted to believe it was him. Some part of Zack, living in Cloud. And now.." She looked hard at her hands. "It feels like I'm just chasing ghost."
"I know what that's like." The two glanced at each other for a moment. "I’ve… done the same," Tifa admitted, voice low. "With Cloud. Holding onto this idea of him… from when we were kids. But people change. We change." She paused, then added, barely audible, "And maybe… we’re allowed to want something different now."
Aerith smiled, sad but warm. "Maybe that’s why I dragged you out here. Not just to remember… but to finally let go."
"You don't have to be alone, Aerith."
"Neither do you."
Aerith laid her head on Tifa's shoulder and their hands came together without another word.
"Zack would've liked you." She murmured.
"I think I would've liked him too."
And for the first time in a long time, the ghosts felt… a little quieter.