It wasn't long after Aeris had stepped away from him, that she heard Zack get up off his feet. Before she knew what was happening, his arms were draped around her. But did she really deserve this? Of course she loved him, and wanted to hug him back so eagerly but... was it the right thing to do? Could she really just forget about Cloud? If he came back, things could be disastrous.

But in that moment, she didn't care.

Aeris decided she needed to do what she felt was right for her. She hadn't seen Zack in over five years, and if by some miracle they were alive again, she would celebrate in this moment. She would do something for her, and if Cloud did come... she'd deal with that then. Right now, all she wanted was Zack.

He was no longer part of her past. He was a part of her future. They could help each other through this hard time in an unknown world.