The usage of quotation marks around "our place", coupled with Cloud's confusion about where Aerith is referencing - and the scene panning IMMEDIATELY to Zack waiting for Aerith by the Church - only further reinforces what was made clear in Crisis Core: it's her place with ZACK 🧵
And it's not just the events before Rebirth, it's after too! In ACC we see Zack's Buster Sword resting in the church and Aerith's flowers on Zack's grave. It's where ZA joke about adopting Cloud and then they both walk off into the light, together always. It's their place...
Zack suddenly disappears and years later Cloud falls into Aerith's life in the exact same way as he did, wearing the same clothes, carrying the same wword and with eyes like the sky - this in a world where the LS is a thing - of course she's going to pull at that thread..🧵
By the end of the journey, the very next day after telling Cloud to his face that she still loves Zack, the stage is set for closure.
The "dream date" - a Zack chapter - tests the waters with Cloud by outright duplicating the date from CC. Except it's not the same...
Se also the Japanese translation of the dialogue in the church. All the moreso it's clear that Aerith herself realises that she's been trying to force a Cloud shaped block into the Zack shaped hole in her heart, but it just doesn't fit. She likes many things, but love? Only Zack.
These 2 scenes serve as bookends to Zack’s interlude. They’re connected. He asks a question; Marlene gives him an answer—but Aerith gives Cloud another. Which kind of “like” is it?
The stage is now set for this to be resolved in Part 3 when Z & A reunite.
#Zerith
#ZerithWeek
It's noted that CAs spend all day attacking ZA (and CT) with a special venom reserved for Z (and T) - it's to be expected. ZA/CT exist on their own. We don't need to continually justify them, they are canon.
CA persists in their heads alone and cannot sail without attacking Z & T
Their hatred towards Zack would REPULSE Aerith, so too their rhetoric towards Tifa would do to Cloud. These people don't care. They hate Zack. They hate Tifa. Their very existence means CA cannot happen. Hell, they hate FF7 too. It's not enough and will never be what they want.
