[People keep telling him that, and he knows it's technically true, but...to him, it's less about whether or not he was a SOLDIER and more about the shame of having lived such a revealing, egregious lie for so long.

But he knows what Aerith's trying to say, and he appreciates it. So he squeezes her hands lightly back.]

Thanks. If that were the only lie I lived, maybe I wouldn't be here. But...there's more.

[He's glad to have her hands there to hold onto. It's grounding. Easier not to get swept up in the past this way.]

Tifa and the other villagers never knew I was even there that day. I felt so humiliated by my failure, after all the boasting I did that I was gonna be a SOLDIER, that...I kept my helmet on. Never talked to Tifa at all. I should've told her everything then, but... [He shakes his head.] Did visit my mom, though. Sephiroth gave me the rest of the day off so I could.

...heh. That night, Zack was so excited about the mission he could barely sleep. Kept me up with his stories and chatter, but I didn't mind one bit. He talked about you, y'know. Gushed, really. He couldn't wait to get back to Midgar to see you again.